What kind of tree is this and would it be good for a hiking stick? (photos included)

It sounds like you've got it taken care of, but if you ever need to cut another walking stick, I've always preferred maple. It is very straight grained, stable, and a tough wood. Find a sapling slightly larger in diameter than you want, and I like to find one with a slight bend in it. You want it just slightly larger because once the bark comes off and it dries, it will be a little smaller. Plus you may need to cut some knots out, or something. I like a slight bend just below shoulder height because it gives my hand a place to rest when I'm really pushing on it, and keeps my hand from sliding down.

After you cut the bark off, let it sit for a couple weeks to a month to dry and stabilize and you're good to go. I like to wrap about an 18" long section with thin nylon cord, both for a grip, and emergency cordage. I also usually let the tip on the top and bottom, for about 2 or 3 inches, soak in epoxy or glue to keep the stick from absorbing water, and/or splitting. Hope you get what you need.
 
Eastern US? Looks suspiciously like an Elm species... Alternating simple leaves with alternate venation on the leaves? My forestry degree is two careers and thirty years ago, so I wouldn't bet the farm on my ID... Often planted in urban settings for ornamentation. As an earlier poster pointed out, it is also suspicious for cherry or cherry family... The bark looks right. The leaf stem will have a couple of bumps at the base of the leaves. The leaves will have a bitter (cyanide) odor when crushed... Jeez, my forestry professors are spinning in their graves tonight... (The fact that I graduated with a forestry degree is what killed them!)
 
Ok. I cut the sapling and removed the bark. As I was doing so it produced a slighlty bitter odor but almost smelled a bit like avacoda. Also after I removed all the bark my hands were stained a blackish which I actully had to use scotch brite to remove. Also the bark didnt zip right off. It came off in small sections
 
That's a tupelo (gum tree). Look for the craggly trunk (like the Thing from the Fantastic Four) looking big trees around it that has the same leaf shape, that's what the older trees look like. If the tree branches of the big trees stick out basically horizontally more or less its a black tupelo for sure.
 
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