Popple/poplar=tomato/tomaaahto?

[KateC]

Here in the Adirondack everyone calls these common trees popple, but can never say yes or no when asked if it's the same as poplar. I'd like to know for sure--it's okay to chuckle at me for being ignorant---reason being my honey has done some clearing for a construction job and brought home a dumptruck full in the spring. It sat for a couple months before he bucked it up, then a couple more before he split it. I know all the variables, but would appreciate opinions on how fast it dries, as said honey insists it's burnable by now and I have to knock it out of his hands to stop it going into the stove. Many thanks. Kate

 

[MountainStoveGuy]

wow, your hardcore!! my wife wound stop me from burning creosote treated railroad ties. To bad i cant answer your question.

 

[suematteva]

In Vermont we called it popple also,,a few other things also. Believe it is the same.

Considering the time frame of cutting,splitting and especially if sitting on ground, it might be a bit on the wet side, especially with the rain we had here in the northeast spring and summer. How is it burning?

Am burning some that we cut last Aug, we burn it in fall for the start stop cycles.. If you try burning this stuff green you almost have to add kerosene or diesel to get it going so much water in it.

 

[BrotherBart]

Our real estate agent called the stuff "popular" which gave us a chuckle. If you can smack two pieces together and get a resonant ring out of them it is ready to burn. It dries and burns fast.

 

[Eric Johnson]

Popple, Poplar, Aspen--all the same tree, more or less. There's a tree called "yellow poplar" which grows in the Mid Atlantic region (PA, VA, MD, etc.) which is something different, but it doesn't grow in the Adirondacks.

Like Dylan says, popple is pretty lousy firewood by Northeastern standards, although out West where you're more likely to find people burning softwood, it's probably considered pretty good. When dry, it will burn. Don't even think about trying to burn it if it's not.

 

[begreen]

Wow, I haven't heard popple in some time. We had friends living on Popple Swamp Road back in CT. Out here it's called poplar, one of the local tree guys calls it sh*twood. He gives it away by the truckload whenever he has to cut it down and haul it away. It is used in building and cabinetry as a semi-hardwood. You can tell it by it's greenish tinge.

 

[Todd]

Besides Popple or Poplar they also call it Cottonwood around these parts. It drys pretty fast after split, I'd say 4 to 6 months. Try a few pieces and see if it sizzles.

 

[Eric Johnson]

Cottonwood and poplar are different trees, but they burn about the same.

 

[begreen]

Confusing isn't it. Also the common in Europe, Lombardi Poplar - Populus nigra and Balsam Poplar aka Balm of Gilead - Populus balsamifera.

There can be a lot of variation within a genus. The box elder and japanese maple are in the same genus for example.

And I just found out that the type of "poplar" used for lumber is actually Liriodendron tulipifera, aka yellow poplar, tulip magnolia, tuliptree. I learn something every day here.

 

[KateC]

Thank you for the responses. Have to re-stack some of it today and have to use it if it's dry since free wood is free heat, even if it's crap. Been telling the bf for 2 months now that we have to buy wood this year and start getting ahead but he's the Poster Child for Procrastination so at this point there's nothing else. Lucky the house is under 1000 sq. ft. and doesn't take much to warm it up yet.

 

[BikeMedic2709]

It is a poor heating wood. But, I figure that if you can let it dry, and set it on fire. It will produce heat. Go for it.

 

[BrotherBart]

For 30 years the rule around here has been "If it will burn in the presence of sufficient heat and air, it is going in the stove."

 

[ourhouse]

For 30 years the rule around here has been "If it will burn in the presence of sufficient heat and air, it is going in the stove."

Same here, if it fits in the stove it gets burned. :coolgrin:

 

[rudysmallfry]

I have well over 2 cords of the useless but free wood. I split mine in May, and kept it in direct sun over the extremely hot summer. It's all cracked on the sides and makes a pretty good clank when I bang the splits together. It might mean a lot of trips to refill the stove, but as others have said, any free heat is good heat. At least with hot burning woods, you can throttle down a bit and get more out of the burn without the danger of creosote buildup. We're supposed to have a warmer than normal winter this year with the El Nino, so I'm going to burn all of my crap wood and buy good stuff next spring.