Just wondering if this wood is any good to burn with? Ive got a line on some and want to check first before i buy it thx.
Poplar a good wood?
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The Beagler
Burning Hunk
I assume this is tulip poplar? Yes, it is decent wood when it is good & dry. Doesn't get the burn times as
Oak, hickory or locust...but I've used it quite often. Easy splitting too.
Oak, hickory or locust...but I've used it quite often. Easy splitting too.
The Beagler
Burning Hunk
If this is sugar (hard) maple, then yes it should be cheaper. I like using poplar to get a fire started or
During shoulder season. Or...mix it with some other good hardwoods. It doesn't smell very good when
It burns. That is one of it's drawbacks. I never had any problems burning it. Probably one of my favorite
Woods to split. Tulip poplar is a neat tree, inside & out.
During shoulder season. Or...mix it with some other good hardwoods. It doesn't smell very good when
It burns. That is one of it's drawbacks. I never had any problems burning it. Probably one of my favorite
Woods to split. Tulip poplar is a neat tree, inside & out.
The Beagler
Burning Hunk
Only burned white birch a handful of times. It seasons fairly quick. About a year or less. Make sure it is split.
It burns fine.
It burns fine.
The Beagler
Burning Hunk
The Beagler
Burning Hunk
If it is split, I would think it should be ok. It is not a native tree where I live, so don't burn it very often. It doesn't
Grow well in our clay soil in Northern Kentucky. Keep it off the ground & I wouldn't keep it more than 2 years.
Maybe some guys up north will chime in & tell you how long they keep it.
Grow well in our clay soil in Northern Kentucky. Keep it off the ground & I wouldn't keep it more than 2 years.
Maybe some guys up north will chime in & tell you how long they keep it.
The Beagler
Burning Hunk
I didn't mean that it's ready to burn after being split for 3 months. Lol! You'll be the judge of that.
Poplar is awesome for quick hot start-ups or for daytime burns when you are there to reload frequently. Not a great 'coaling' wood, but it burns plenty hot when seasoned.
The Beagler
Burning Hunk
Around here we call Tulip, American Poplar cuz it doesn't grow in Canada as far as I know.The Beagler said:
Tulip Poplar (Liriodendron tulipifera) is not related to the Poplar/Aspen that grows in Canada. Some people will burn PoplarAspen and others won't. Most won't pay for it but will burn it if it's free. Around here, Poplar/Aspen is market wood and is sold to the mills to make paper and OSB.
Birch is a much better firewood but it does take longer to season. Because of the waterproof nature of the bark, it needs to be split to dry well. Best to lay it up for two years. Around here, Birch is the firewood of choice for most folk, but I prefer Ash. I don't care to fight with the Birch bark and a don't like the slivers I get from handing it.
My wood is very "popular", especially with me and the wife. the kids don't care for it too much, their minds have been swayed by the liberal educational system that cutting trees is harmful to the forest and overall environment. LOL
J-RO said:
I burn a lot of white birch here mainly cause a lot of it is dying. The small splits are usually ready to burn after 1 summer seasoning, but I use bigger splits so I usually don't use them until the second year. Definitely needs to be split tho, the rounds refuse to dry much, unless the bark is peeling off them.
Based on posts I've seen on here, I'm inclined to think that we're talking about very different trees when we compare norther poplar and birch to what's growing further south. Wish some of the folks who have lived and burned in both places would chime in here and help clear up that mystery.
I live up in the Fairbanks, AK area, and basically all we've got to burn around here is birch, spruce, and poplar. Birch is considered the best by most people in the Interior because of the high btu's. My first winter burning in this house I used up the woodpiles that the PO left laying around here. Seasoned for several years, and I couldn't tell you if it was aspen or poplar, but it was the best wood I've burned. Split like a dream, squared off so well I could practically stack it like books on a shelf, both on the rack and in the stove. I was able to get overnight fires here, and kept the house warm through some extreme cold snaps. I'd take more of that stuff in a New York minute.
But when I read posts here from folks in L48 who burn it, they think pretty poorly of it (as well as birch). Makes me think that our growing conditions might lead to a denser wood, because most people are not pleased with it. As w/LLigetfa, it's considered premium wood around here, but I find drawbacks to birch--maybe it has more to do with where the birch I'm burning grew (pretty twisted).
http://forestry.alaska.gov/pdfs/firewood.pdf
I live up in the Fairbanks, AK area, and basically all we've got to burn around here is birch, spruce, and poplar. Birch is considered the best by most people in the Interior because of the high btu's. My first winter burning in this house I used up the woodpiles that the PO left laying around here. Seasoned for several years, and I couldn't tell you if it was aspen or poplar, but it was the best wood I've burned. Split like a dream, squared off so well I could practically stack it like books on a shelf, both on the rack and in the stove. I was able to get overnight fires here, and kept the house warm through some extreme cold snaps. I'd take more of that stuff in a New York minute.
But when I read posts here from folks in L48 who burn it, they think pretty poorly of it (as well as birch). Makes me think that our growing conditions might lead to a denser wood, because most people are not pleased with it. As w/LLigetfa, it's considered premium wood around here, but I find drawbacks to birch--maybe it has more to do with where the birch I'm burning grew (pretty twisted).
http://forestry.alaska.gov/pdfs/firewood.pdf
J-RO said:
Welcome to the forum J-RO.
I wouldn't let it season more than maybe 20 years. lol So long as wood is stacked off the ground and is preferably covered on top, it will keep for many years. Yes, even birch. Of course you already know birch has to be split because that wonderful bark will help hold the moisture in and that is not what you want. Split it and it will dry and then remain good for longer than you want to keep it.
Popple, or poplar is an okay wood but not usually what you want for those long winter nights or super cold days. During those cold days you'll quickly learn why it is commonly referred to as gopher wood. That is, put some wood in the stove and then go fer some more. But for burning in spring or fall it can be very good plus it will make good kindling wood. One down side is it tends to give you a few more ashes but that is a minor problem.
I think slower growing means thinner growth rings and denser wood. A lot of it also has to do with what alternatives are available. In the absense of other hardwoods like Oak, Maple, etc., we burn what's available. We also compete with the mills for supply so if the mills pay top dollar, we get only rejects but the loggers still demand a good dollar. Since they sell Birch to the OSB mill, it drives up the price of Birch as firewood. Still, it is more plentiful than Ash.snowleopard said:
IKWYM about wrestling with Birch. It can develop quite a twisted grain particularly in wind swept areas which is another reason I like Ash. The Black Ash I buy is not a market wood, meaning none of the mills take it. Our MNR forces loggers to make ice roads through swamps so as not to make Summer accessible roads into pristine areas to keep sportsmen out. The Black Ash grows predominantly in swamps and so is a by-product of market wood harvesting. It generally has a very straight grain and splits like a dream. The bark is thin and tends not to fall off unless it is standing dead wood.
We have a pulp & paper mill that takes Poplar/Aspen as well as an OSB mill. What is considered unsuitable for one is often suitable for the other so they are quite complimentary. We do have some OWB guys that burn it but I must say, the putrid stench of it is something else. It is not so bad if properly seasoned but those guys burn it green. I don't care for the smell of it even before it is burned and I hate the fluffy ashes it produces. BTU wise, it is lower than just about everything else.
I've also heard it called baby maker wood. After you wake up in the middle of the night to reload the stove, you look for alternative ways to get warm.Backwoods Savage said:
Poplar here in the UK seems to be very different from what you guys are talking about. The poplar we have had has been some of the lightest wood we've ever cut and burned. I'd probably pass up on a load unless it was already cut and split.
It is certainly nothing like the Tulip Poplar mentioned.
It is certainly nothing like the Tulip Poplar mentioned.
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