Tulip Poplar

  • Active since 1995, Hearth.com is THE place on the internet for free information and advice about wood stoves, pellet stoves and other energy saving equipment.

    We strive to provide opinions, articles, discussions and history related to Hearth Products and in a more general sense, energy issues.

    We promote the EFFICIENT, RESPONSIBLE, CLEAN and SAFE use of all fuels, whether renewable or fossil.
Status
Not open for further replies.
USMC80

USMC80

Minister of Fire
Mar 27, 2013
842
New Jersey
Split about 2 cords eight weeks ago, they are still sitting in a giant pile as I stack a little here and there. Decided I would split a couple pieces down more and take a reading on the face of a fresh split.To my surprise they were between 22-25% MC. Surely the stuff i stacked would have been lower. Decided to run a load of four splits for between after work and bedtime. Easily heated the whole house for 5 hours, would have been longer but needed to load for bedtime. Loaded it 3.4 full of more poplar and closed her down for the night. 8 hours later still putting out good heat even with a log in the back still in log form. Im sure it would have kept us warm for another 2 hours. Keep in mind it was 19 degrees out last night.

If your struggling to find dry wood, find some poplar and get it split and stacked. Only took mine about two months to get down into the low 20s MC and burns much better than I was expecting.

This was just a test for myself and I will be saving it all for next fall.

A short video, you can't see it but the secondaries had a bluish purple look to them, was pretty cool. This is the load of four splits when I got home from work. Was able to close off the air within minutes of it lighting off

 
  • Like
Reactions: teutonicking
I bought two slabs of Tulip from a local sawmill that sells alot of exotic hardwoods. You can still get very wide planks with this species. I tried them for sign carving. I thought the wood felt very dense and tight grained. Comparing it to mahogany and cedar and redwood. Not as porous.
 
USMC80 said:
Split about 2 cords eight weeks ago, they are still sitting in a giant pile as I stack a little here and there. Decided I would split a couple pieces down more and take a reading on the face of a fresh split.To my surprise they were between 22-25% MC. Surely the stuff i stacked would have been lower. Decided to run a load of four splits for between after work and bedtime. Easily heated the whole house for 5 hours, would have been longer but needed to load for bedtime. Loaded it 3.4 full of more poplar and closed her down for the night. 8 hours later still putting out good heat even with a log in the back still in log form. Im sure it would have kept us warm for another 2 hours. Keep in mind it was 19 degrees out last night.

If your struggling to find dry wood, find some poplar and get it split and stacked. Only took mine about two months to get down into the low 20s MC and burns much better than I was expecting.

This was just a test for myself and I will be saving it all for next fall.

A short video, you can't see it but the secondaries had a bluish purple look to them, was pretty cool. This is the load of four splits when I got home from work. Was able to close off the air within minutes of it lighting off

Click to expand...

USMC80, What type of insert do you have?
 
thats all we have been burning here, very warm considering its the 3rd week of November. It is essentially still shoulder season here....forecast is for +9 Celsius today, so all the stove is going to see until at least the weekend is poplar and some pine cut offs and peeling from a mill operation. I must say the thin bark edges with just a sliver of pine wood on them make great fire starters.
 
Thats good to hear about the poplar performance. Thats exactly what I'm looking for and need since I am waiting for my oak to dry. Plus I have a fair amount on my property.
 
I could be wrong but isn't tulip poplar different than some other poplars we talk about here?
I know its not great but I split it real thin for kindling.
 
Yeah Tulip is actually in the Magnolia, not Poplar, family of tall weeds.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Seanm
I split some 2 months ago too, and burned it recently, it was very light and burned fast, I was impressed after reading a lot of bad things about it, I liked it and will get more when I can, for sure it dried quickly.....
 
I've went through all of the Tulip Poplar I put up already. It did a fantastic job. I split and stacked twice as much already for next year with the idea the stuff can easily take me to the end of November. I have it available so I will use it.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Applesister
Ya i def won't be turning any away. Gives my other hardwoods more time to season
 
I make fun of Tulip sometimes, but the BTU ratings I've seen for it are about 16 Mbtu/cord. Definitely a useful wood, and as mentioned, dries quick.
 
That's crazy seasoning times! If anything it sounds like a wood that people can count on if they are in a pinch. Heat is heat!
 
Good to know. I found a bunch of that cut and split , now I've been coming across a lot of different woods and was thinking about getting rid of it. I guess I will add it to the stack and use when needed. I'm hooked on wood hunts these days. Lol.
 
I had a 75 ft tulip tree go down in my yard back in February...with help of my neighbor cut it into 18 inch pieces and split back in April...burning great right now...mixing it in with red oak as well..no complaints!
 
I cut a tulip poplar that self seeded in my vegetable garden.Got to be ridiculous...I hate cutting healthy trees, but at 40 feet an about 9 inch diameter it had to come down....I cut it in the Spring, have burned all but one or two logs about 5 inch diameter. I'd say 16 M BTU is about right. Way less heat and shorter burn time than my maple, beech, hickory and ironwood. Fine for the shoulder season, and you need wood to dry really fast. Otherwise I'd pass, unless I had one I had to cut because of its location. Rather stack an haul less wood.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

bcarp
dry Douglas Fir that sizzles?
Replies
9
Views
2K
The Wood Shed
CentralVAWoodHeat
CentralVAWoodHeat
G
Harm to a Dauntless catalyst?
Replies
8
Views
833
Vermont Castings
Ant428
A
G
Kuma K-180 (Aspen LE) Short Burn Times
Replies
4
Views
637
Kuma
Wisco Shepherd
Wisco Shepherd
I
Just bought a cord of not actually seasoned wood...
Replies
71
Views
7K
The Wood Shed
vbu
vbu
E
Advice on last night's runaway portal to hell raging inferno
Replies
52
Views
2K
HearthStone
hoot
hoot
Top Bottom
Back