Got a bit of wood, red oak and...poplar?

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nola mike

Minister of Fire
Sep 13, 2010
927
Richmond/Montross, Virginia
Got 2 truck loads of wood over the last week, pretty good for only being November. I really need to try to measure, but I think each of these is about ⅓-½ cord. First load was oak, I'll use that for the main house ... Need to squeeze all the BTUs I can out of the tiny stove. I'm already probably 2-3 years ahead.
Second load was advertised as hardwood, but there wasn't much. I got a couple of large oak rounds, the other I'm not sure of. No leaves. Definitely light. I'm thinking poplar or maybe maple? Should be good for the second house. Spent way more time there last winter than usual because of covid, and went through all of this year's wood. I have a bit of Ash from last year that is good to burn for this year. I was thinking of getting poplar or pine anyway, so that I can have it seasoned for next year. Oak takes at least 2 years around here, preferably three

Oak
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Mystery wood
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Mystery wood split
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Does the mystery wood stink?
 
Got 2 truck loads of wood over the last week, pretty good for only being November. I really need to try to measure, but I think each of these is about ⅓-½ cord. First load was oak, I'll use that for the main house ... Need to squeeze all the BTUs I can out of the tiny stove. I'm already probably 2-3 years ahead.
Second load was advertised as hardwood, but there wasn't much. I got a couple of large oak rounds, the other I'm not sure of. No leaves. Definitely light. I'm thinking poplar or maybe maple? Should be good for the second house. Spent way more time there last winter than usual because of covid, and went through all of this year's wood. I have a bit of Ash from last year that is good to burn for this year. I was thinking of getting poplar or pine anyway, so that I can have it seasoned for next year. Oak takes at least 2 years around here, preferably three

Oak
View attachment 285510

Mystery wood
View attachment 285511

Mystery wood split
View attachment 285512
Yellow poplar.
 
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I have burned a good bit of poplar. It’s low to medium on the btu’s but it dries fast. Starts easy. Split to 3-4” and it will be dry before the summer is over.
 
Got 2 truck loads of wood over the last week, pretty good for only being November. I really need to try to measure, but I think each of these is about ⅓-½ cord. First load was oak, I'll use that for the main house ... Need to squeeze all the BTUs I can out of the tiny stove. I'm already probably 2-3 years ahead.
Second load was advertised as hardwood, but there wasn't much. I got a couple of large oak rounds, the other I'm not sure of. No leaves. Definitely light. I'm thinking poplar or maybe maple? Should be good for the second house. Spent way more time there last winter than usual because of covid, and went through all of this year's wood. I have a bit of Ash from last year that is good to burn for this year. I was thinking of getting poplar or pine anyway, so that I can have it seasoned for next year. Oak takes at least 2 years around here, preferably three

Oak
View attachment 285510

Mystery wood
View attachment 285511

Mystery wood split
View attachment 285512

Basswood or Butternut ?
 
I have burned a good bit of poplar. It’s low to medium on the btu’s but it dries fast. Starts easy. Split to 3-4” and it will be dry before the summer is over.
Amen, just split a cord great shoulder season wood in my stove.
 
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poplar. i have lots of it. i wont burn it but to each his own
 
the mystery wood is poplar and should split pretty easy and nakes great kindling sticks
Spits easy Until it doesn’t. I had 3 rounds that were wet. I’m thinking they were the butt log. Fiskars maul bounced out. My x27 just sunk in. My Kelly works just got more stuck the harder I was swinging. Best I could was 2” thick slabs off the sides with the maul. Then the corners. Only after that could I get it to pop open. I had to think for a moment what stack input that in. It took more energy to split than I will get back out burning it.
 
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Poplar for sure. It has its uses. Its not a wood that I want to be using in the dead of winter. Its a great wood for 2 reasons 1 is its dries really fast, the other is it is a great early/late season wood that will not over heat the house but will take the chill off.. I use it here and there..
 
i have them all over my property. they are prone to snapping in two in a storm. my girlfriend owns a very nice rental house here in asheville. there was [past tense] a 40 inch diameter poplar 10 feet from that house. the top snapped off in a storm, and a 30 foot long, 6 inch diameter poplar ''spear'' went right through the roof of the living room.

rain poured in, ruined the floor and the attic insulation, and the sheet rock ceiling. what a mess, i did all the repairs. and one month later a tree crew took down that poplar.
 
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i have them all over my property. they are prone to snapping in two in a storm. my girlfriend owns a very nice rental house here in asheville. there was [past tense] a 40 inch diameter poplar 10 feet from that house. the top snapped off in a storm, and a 30 foot long, 6 inch diameter poplar ''spear'' went right through the roof of the living room.

rain poured in, ruined the floor and the attic insulation, and the sheet rock ceiling. what a mess, i did all the repairs. and one month later a tree crew took down that poplar.

.on the positive side.. it dries really fast, as a matter of fact it will even season during the winter. the only wood I know that you can cut up in December split it , stack it by January and have it sub 20%mc by the end of march