Heck, I can burn green popple!

[Backwoods Savage]

An interesting conversation today. I went to a neighbor's place and another fellow was there. I knew him too so it did not surprise me what he said. We were talking about the crew working along the highline cutting trees and brush. I mentioned to the landowner about all that nice red oak he would have to burn and he could skid the logs up to the wood pile before cutting. The other fellow noticed some popple and said that was good wood. He said, "Heck, I can burn that stuff green!"

Well, I waited and the neighbor did tell him that he lost a lot of heat because the moisture had to burn off. He sort of agreed. I just laughed and let it go.

Yes, he has an outdoor wood boiler. I hate it that those people who sell those things put into people's heads that they can burn green wood. Most of them do!

Trouble is, you usually can't tell them any different. "Naw, it burns just fine!" Sad.....


EDIT: Yes, I rode down to the neighbor's place on the new atv! Sweet!

 

[smokinj]

PIC'S?

 

[Backwoods Savage]

Jay, I didn't even think about the camera today. Hope to get some pictures tomorrow or at least sometime this weekend. Maybe after the snow showing off the new snow blade.

 

[smokinj]

Jay, I didn't even think about the camera today. Hope to get some pictures tomorrow or at least sometime this weekend. Maybe after the snow showing off the new snow blade.

New Snow Blade busting a drift for your new Avatar!

 

[JustWood]

I have a wood dump where tree services and the power companies bring chips and wood. I have a grapple for my loader that works sweet for sifting the chips from the wood. The wood gets piled to dry for the old mans OWB and the chips and brush cook till late winter and then get ground for mulch.
I catch my old man going for green azzpin to mix with dry slab from the mill ALL the time. He says he gets LONG burns from it and he don't know why.Not alot of smoke either. He's on board with the 2 years dry wood thing too but there is just something about green azzpin that works.

Hope you shot a few brodies with that new 700 !

 

[LLigetfa]

Way back when I was in my 20's I burned lots of green Poplar at the trapper's cabin. I spent the whole Winter there, going into town only for supplies.

It was not much of a cabin... no insulation, no inside panelling, just unchinked boards nailed to the outside of the studs. At bedtime I'd load up the barrel stove, crawl into my 40 below sleeping bag with my wool long johns and feel the snow blowing through the cracks onto my face. Sometime through the night, I'd wake up in a sweat with the whole cabin lit up by the cherry red and orange glowing stove, and throw open the sleeping bag. Later in the morning, I'd wake up shivering to an ice cold cabin and barely enough coals to get the fire going again. If it weren't for the green Poplar, and if the stove would not have melted down through the night from "too dry" wood, there would not have been any coals in the morning.

We would put a bit of water in pails we used to trap mice so that they would drown and we wouldn't be kept awake by them scratching to get out, and of course the water would be frozen by morning.

 

[Coach B]

I hate it that those people who sell those things put into people's heads that they can burn green wood. Most of them do!

I used to be one of those people. Just didn't know any better. Everybody who had one told me green wood works just fine. Plus, they eat up so much wood it took me years before I got very far ahead.

 

[davmor]

Dennis, it is strange the way people think about firewood. I burn poplar off of my property all the time. If it is stored right and seasoned it is good wood. I know people who just turn up their nose at poplar. However these are the same people who burn wood that's not even seasoned 6 months. Dave.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

Dave, we have burned a goodly amount of popple over the years.....but I still pass on it if there is better wood available. Like my neighbor says, "It doesn't take any longer to buzz up some oak or ash than it does the popple."

 

[savageactor7]

Here green popple gives off a wicked stink...YIKES!

We've burned a ton of it over the years...it's so aggressive some years I go out of my way to cut it down to give the other trees a chance. Like ash it's an easy take, pretty sure it's the lowest btu hardwood God makes.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

Savage, I agree; it stinks.

As for growth, they usually do not live long around here. Also, if you cut them down they many times will tend to grow up even thicker. They grow from the roots; that is why a lot of clear cutting is done. Those areas come back with really thick popple which is good for the wildlife.

I have some I want to get cut and we may have a chipper come in to take some pine and the popple. That would help out a lot.

 

[LLigetfa]

These days I mostly leave the Poplar in the bush to rot where I drop it. As others said, it's the same amount of work for half the amount of heat and twice the amount of ashes. That and the stink of some of it, means I don't want it. Fine for some of the OWB guys since they have such a voracious appetite and can take them in 4 foot lond, in the round, and somewhat green. Many of the OWB guys don't bother to split their wood and if I was to go through 3 times as much wood, I probably wouldn't bother splitting it either.

I can attest to the stench of OWBs burning green Poplar. I have a few of them in the area and sometimes have to drive through their smoke that can hang over a square mile area.