Fallen Timber ID in NYC suburb area

[ValleyCottageSplitter]

I came upon a pretty huge stash of wood from someone along my commuting route. The original tree must have been about 80-100', 3-4' DBH. She says it fell about 9mo ago. I split up 4 rounds about 3'x20" by hand last Friday to build up my supply for our fireplace for the winter. I found the big rounds were still pretty green; literally they had a green tint to them. So I probably won't be able to use them this winter. I was able to get it split pretty straight with the maul once I got these rounds into 6th's. About half of these needed a wedge to finish though.

Picking it up it seems lighter than some other stuff she had laying in a well seasoned pile <1' dia each. The bark looks the same but it is very heavy, hard, dense, and difficult to split (stringy). Maybe Elm? I will ask her if that is the same stuff, but it seems different. It's possible they are the same wood but some started getting spongy and lost some density...

This new stuff I picked up I'm worried could be poplar and don't know how much I should take. The other suspect is Ash. From what I was told, the main body divided into two big segments about 1/2 up, which doesn't sounds like poplar. The bark is deep furrowed, dark, separates easily. Don't have any small branches to check for opposing branching. I don't want to burn since it's so green. Any idea?

Thanks.

 

[claydogg84]

It looks like Poplar.

 

[kennyp2339]

Poplar / cotton wood

 

[ValleyCottageSplitter]

Great. So anyone want a huge stash of poplar?

I'll probably just grab the rest of the split stuff, leave the big chunks. I can mix it in as starter wood.

What's the best way to tell if it's poplar if you are looking at rounds? I've been scowering the web trying to get info. If I cut enough I could get a feel for it, but I have to be sure what it is first...

Thanks for the ID.

 

[ValleyCottageSplitter]

The owners of the lot said it burned bright, clean, and pretty hot while it lasted. Doesn't sound so bad. The pieces all seem to match for Cottonwood (though it's a little far north).

 

[CheapBassTurd]

Can't beat the price and ease.
Depends on how big your home stash is. Make a decision from there on how much ya need/ want.

Being the Cheapster, I'd take it all for startups, short burns, and shoulder season. Wood is wood.
That's just me though, and I burn collected wood only so everything is fair game in this firebox.

Edit: When I get some non dense wood I do my best to bring down the airflow and make the best of
whatever I get. Luckily this area is mainly ash, oak, maple, good stuff but regularly do pine and poplar.
Some days stuff I have to clue as to what it is but if it's dry we cook it up. Warm family is the big picture
and doing often chimney inspections and brushouts if necessary. Still clean so far this early in the season
so the burns are doing well.

 

[Wood Duck]

I think it is Tulip tree, aka Tulip Poplar. This isn't really a poplar, but is more related to magnolias I think, and is an OK firewood. It is easy to split and dries pretty fast. I'd take it if it were easy to get.