There are hundreds of species, similar ones often distinguished by details of parts such as fruits, flowers and leaves. Looking at internet photos alone may not produce the same species, or result in a false identification - unless species of interest is very distinctive and commonly planted. Comparing parts of tree being wondered about with those in a nearby labeled collection might turn up a useful lead. Always follow up with reading serious written descriptions.

I would have that tree taken out and put something else in. But seriously since that can't really be done get a Western Garden Book and look for things that can be planted under oaks. The book lists things like that. You really just need shade lovers. Since Descanso Gardens is right in your city go there and you'll gets lots of ideas and advice. For winter color you might be able to do cyclamens or even pansies. Also is the area irrigated? How tall do you want your new plants to get?

This is cut and pasted from a guide put out by the State of Nebraska. The formatting is confusing, but read the row of headings and you can figure it out. Maybe South Carolina's State Forestry Service has one for you. I couldn't find SweetGum. What's it most similar to? Maple? Sycamore? Good luck. -- Marie Heating With Wood I. Species Characteristics and Volumes Heat content, burning characteristics and overall quality of woods commonly burned in Nebraska, as well as information on buying firewood, are included here. Mike Kuhns, State Extension Forester Tom Schmidt, Forester [Previous Category] [Catalog] [Order Info]  Species Characteristics  Firewood Volume  Buying Firewood  For More Information Wood is a source of heat currently used by many Nebraskans, and more firewood likely will be burned as the cost of other energy sources, such as gas and electricity, rises. In order to use firewood effectively, an understanding of species' characteristics and firewood volumes is needed. Species Characteristics Firewood from different species or types of trees varies widely in heat content, burning characteristics and overall quality. Table I below presents several important burning characteristics for most species used in Nebraska. Green weight is the weight of a cord of freshly cut wood before drying. Dry weight is the weight of a cord after air drying. Green firewood may contain 50 percent or more water by weight. Green wood produces less heat because heat must be used to boil off this water before combustion can occur. Green wood also produces more smoke and creosote than dry wood. Firewood always should be purchased dry or allowed to dry before burning. Dry wood may cost more than green wood because it produces more heat and is easier to handle. A wood's dry weight per volume, or density, is important because denser or heavier wood contains more heat per volume. Osage-orange is the densest firewood available in Nebraska. It contains almost twice the heat by volume as cottonwood, one of our lightest woods. It is best to buy or gather dense woods such as oak, ash or mulberry. Hardwoods, or woods from broadleaved trees, tend to be denser than softwoods, or woods from conifers. Some firewood dealers sell "mixed hardwood" firewood. This may or may not be desirable, depending on the proportion of low-density hardwoods, such as cottonwood, that are included. The amount of heat per cord of dry wood is presented in Table I. Heat content is shown as a percent of dry green ash, a common Nebraska firewood. Values above 100 signify a higher heat content than green ash and values below 100 a lower heat content. Table I also contains information on other characteristics that determine firewood quality. Ease of splitting is important because larger pieces of wood usually must be split for good drying and burning. Fragrance and tendency to smoke and spark are most important when wood is burned in a fireplace. Woods that spark or pop can throw embers out of an open fireplace and cause a fire danger. Conifers tend to do this more because of their high resin content. Woods that form coals are good to use in wood stoves because they allow a fire to be carried overnight effectively. TABLE I. Firewood Facts Species Weight (lbs./Cord) Heat/ Cord (1,000 BTU'S) % Green Ash Ease of Splitting Smoke Sparks Coals Fragrance Overall Quality Green Dry Apple 4850 3888 27.0 135 Medium Low Few Good Excellent Excellent Ash, Green 4184 2880 20.0 100 Easy Low Few Good Slight Excellent Ash, White 3952 3472 24.2 121 Medium Low Few Good Slight Excellent Basswood (Linden) 4404 1984 13.8 69 Easy Medium Few Poor Good Fair Birch, Paper 4312 2992 20.8 104 Medium Medium Few Good Slight Fair Boxelder 3589 2632 18.3 92 Difficult Medium Few Poor Slight Fair Buckeye, Ohio 4210 1984 13.8 69 Medium Low Few Poor Slight Fair Catalpa 4560 2360 16.4 82 Difficult Medium Few Good Bad Fair Cherry, Black 3696 2928 20.4 102 Easy Low Few Excellent Excellent Good Coffeetree, Kentucky 3872 3112 21.6 108 Medium Low Few Good Good Good Cottonwood 4640 2272 15.8 79 Easy Medium Few Good Slight Fair Douglas-Fir 3319 2970 20.7 103 Easy High Few Fair Slight Good Elm, American 4456 2872 20.0 100 Difficult Medium Few Excellent Good Fair Elm, Red 4800 3112 21.6 108 Easy Medium Few Excellent Good Good Elm, Siberian 3800 3020 20.9 105 Difficult Medium Few Good Fair Fair Fir, Concolor 3585 2104 14.6 73 Easy Medium Few Poor Slight Fair Hackberry 3984 3048 21.2 106 Easy Low Few Good Slight Good Hickory, Bitternut 5032 3832 26.7 134 Medium Low Few Excellent Excellent Excellent Hickory, Shagbark 5104 3952 27.5 138 Difficult Low Few Excellent Excellent Excellent Honeylocust 4640 3832 26.7 133 Easy Low Few Excellent Slight Excellent Ironwood 4590 4016 27.9 140 Difficult Medium Few Excellent Slight Excellent Juniper, Rocky Mountain 3535 3150 21.8 109 Medium Medium Many Poor Excellent Fair Locust, Black 4616 4016 27.9 140 Difficult Low Few Excellent Slight Excellent Maple, Other 4685 3680 25.5 128 Easy Low Few Excellent Good Excellent Maple, Silver 3904 2752 19.0 95 Medium Low Few Excellent Good Fair Mulberry 4712 3712 25.8 129 Easy Medium Many Excellent Good Excellent Oak, Bur 4960 3768 26.2 131 Easy Low Few Excellent Good Excellent Oak, Red 4888 3528 24.6 123 Medium Low Few Excellent Good Excellent Oak, White 5573 4200 29.1 146 Medium Low Few Excellent Good Excellent Osage-Orange 5120 4728 32.9 165 Easy Low Many Excellent Excellent Excellent Pine, Eastern White 2780 2250 15.6 78 Medium Medium Few Poor Good Fair Pine, Jack 3200 2488 17.2 86 Difficult Low Many Poor Good Fair Pine, Ponderosa 3600 2336 16.2 81 Easy Medium Many Fair Good Fair Redcedar, Eastern 2950 2632 18.2 91 Medium Medium Many Poor Excellent Fair Spruce 2800 2240 15.5 78 Easy Medium Many Poor Slight Fair Sycamore 5096 2808 19.5 98 Difficult Medium Few Good Slight Good Walnut, Black 4584 3192 22.2 111 Easy Low Few Good Good Excellent Willow 4320 2540 17.6 88 Easy Low Few Poor Slight Poor Firewood Volume Though firewood dry weight is important for determining heat content, firewood is normally bought and sold by volume. Figure 1. STANDARD CORD, Total Volume = 128 cu. ft. Figure 2. FACE CORD, Total Volume = 32 to 48 cu. ft. (Depends on piece length.) Figure 3. PICKUP LOAD, Approximate Total Volume = 64 cu. ft. The most common unit of firewood volume is the cord, also known as a standard or full cord. A cord is an evenly stacked pile containing 128 cubic feet of wood and air space. Though a cord can be piled in any shape, a standard cord is generally thought of as a stack of wood four feet tall, eight feet long, and four feet deep (Figure 1). To figure the number of cords in another size or shape pile, determine the pile's cubic foot volume and divide by 128. A randomly piled stack of wood generally will contain more air and less wood than one neatly piled. Some dealers sell wood by the face cord or short cord (Figure 2). A face cord is a stack of wood four feet high, eight feet long, and as deep as the pieces are long. Pieces are commonly 12 to 18 inches long, so a face cord may contain 32 to 48 cubic feet of wood and air. Another common firewood measure is the pickup load (Figure 3). This is an imprecise but common measure. A full-size pickup with a standard bed can hold about 1/2 of a full cord, or 64 cubic feet, when loaded even with the top of the bed. Small pickups hold much less. Random loading will decrease this amount further. A randomly piled stack or pickup load of wood will contain more air and less wood than one neatly stacked. Crooked, small diameter, and knotty or branchy pieces also reduce the amount of wood in a pile. Buying Firewood Species, volume, dryness and need for splitting should be considered when buying firewood. This NebGuide and other publications provide basic information you need to be an informed buyer, but knowing your dealer is the best way to ensure that you are getting what you are paying for.

That's very sad, I hate hearing stories like that. Everyone has their own habits and practices, but dog owners need to vigilantly keep their homes dog-safe the same way they child proof them. Any area within nose or "standing on hind legs" range of the dog needs to be kept free of things that are dangerous. Among common foods that can cause problems or even death in extreme cases, besides xylitol, are grapes and raisins, chocolate, avocado, and many others. There are also many common outside plants that should not be present in areas where dogs spend time. Dogs don't know better, they rely on us to keep them safe. Not much food has xylitol in it because it's quite a bit more expensive than other artificial sweeteners. But for sure it's in sugarless gum because of its (ironic) property of killing some types of decay-causing bacteria. Just the opposite effect of gum with sugar that promotes the growth of such bacteria.