How could they not tell what type of hardwood it is? In my (tropical) country, different timber looks very different, and anyone working in hardware or construction should be able to tell on sight what type of tree a plant came from.
"Identifying wood is not easy for a number of reasons. First, there are hundreds of different species of trees in North America. Second, the wood of many species looks very similar, if not identical."
It depends on the purpose and grade of the lumber.
I have worked an "exotic" lumber dealer that can definitely offer different species and grades of wood from all over the world -- including CITES (endangered species list) lumber with the proper certificates. But their customers are typically woodworkers that want a specific species for a specific look. So it's usually cabinet and furniture makers etc.
I have also worked at a "discount" industrial lumber distributer. They are selling wood to be made into pallets or used at a construction site for bracing. In those cases, the hardwood species are a lot less important. The customer just needs something much stronger than the standard SPF.
It's a fascinating industry. I learned a lot working that job -- even tho I was just implement their ERP systems.
