<p>Accurate characterization of wood properties is important for informing urban forestry science, policy and management related to carbon cycling, ecosystem services modeling, and wood utilization. In this study, urban wood samples were collected and analyzed for basic specific gravity (SG) and ash content (AC), two important wood properties that inform biomass estimation and potential for biofuel feedstocks. Samples were collected in Baltimore, Maryland, USA across four urban site types from seven tree species commonly planted in urban settings. Results were compared with published values for forest-grown trees and from a previous study of urban stump wood. Site type comparisons yielded some significant differences. Siberian elm trees in tree pits had higher SG than those grown in unrestricted sites. Ash species and Siberian elm had highest AC in trees grown in lawn strips, while red maple AC was lowest in lawn strip trees. Consistent with previous work, results suggest that urban SG and AC may be higher than published values from forest-grown trees, but this depends on species and site type. Although data collection is logistically challenging, further work is needed to increase sample sizes and expand the number of species characterized to better support modeled estimates from urban tree inventories.</p>