Moisture meter accurate-Poplar?

[tahoostas]

Wondering if anyone can help me out.
I have a cheap moisture meter from ebay and i just cut a cord of poplar and the moisture reading on fresh splits is ~35%. Does this sound right? Its green wood not deadfall.
Moisture meter reading on the palm of my hand says ~35% also. Readings on wood from last year is ~12%.
If this poplar (aspen, live in canada) sits from early June to November, do you think it will be ready to burn for this season? I know this is not the greatest wood to burn, but we burned some last year along with tamarak and other than having no good coals it actually burned pretty nice (new efficient stove).
I was planning on cutting for next year and buying one more years worth of wood for this fall, but if this stuff will be ready to go that could save me some bucks!
Thanks.

 

[gzecc]

Makes sense to me. Remember these cheap meters should only be used as a rough gauge. Not an absolute number to stick to.

 

[BrotherBart]

Maxing the meter on fresh cut Poplar is no surprise. What isn't knowable is how dry it will be by Fall. The stuff dries faster than a lot of other species but it starts out wetter than a lot of them. And Fall and burning season ain't that far away.

I don't think it is gonna make it in time.

 

[maple1]

I had a poplar tree get blown down in my yard last August. I immediately cut, split & loose stacked in the windiest most exposed part of my yard. It was dry by November.

So I think as long as you cut, split & stack it in a good place now, it will be good to burn this winter - there won't be a lot of heat to it though. Check a fresh split every couple weeks or so - I bet you'll see some very rapid drying.

 

[Rickb]

What might help you gauge the meter is to grab a piece of 2x4. Its kiln dried and should be around 8-12% moisture.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

There is a chance it could be ready to burn by fall but it would have to be a really great summer for drying. So a lot depends upon your area and the weather. It can dry really fast if conditions are right.

 

[tahoostas]

Thanks folks. Ill keep my eyes on it!

 

[StihlHead]

35-40% for fresh cut and split green wood is common for me here. Cottonwood (in the poplar genus) can take longer to dry here than alder, fir and cedar though. Kiln dried wood here can be anywhere from 12-18%, depending in the species and purpose. Typical old building material bone dry Doug fir is 12% here. My hand is typically 30%. I have 4 pin el cheapo Chicom Ebay MM.

 

[Sprinter]

Split it as small as you can. That will help a whole lot.