Is poplar worth the time?

[brenndatomu]

He doesn’t even want ash because he says it doesn’t burn as well as maple, oak, or cherry.

Oh man, I'm taking ash over cherry every time!

 

[Simonkenton]

I am a poplar snob, but I love ash.

 

[Dan Freeman]

Is poplar worth it? In MHO, no., unless that's all you have, then it's a big yes.

 

[DonTee]

I have a buddy down south of me that doesn’t like ash. He says he can’t get it to burn. I don’t know what’s up with that. It seasons quickly, and burns great for me.

And this guy has been burning wood longer than I’ve been alive, so I don’t think it’s an experience thing.

 

[Dan Freeman]

I love ash! Only sorry that the EAB is quickly bringing ash burning in my neck of the woods to an end.

 

[Ashful]

I have a buddy down south of me that doesn’t like ash. He says he can’t get it to burn. I don’t know what’s up with that. It seasons quickly, and burns great for me.

And this guy has been burning wood longer than I’ve been alive, so I don’t think it’s an experience thing.

You know... it's possible to do something wrong, for decades on end. That takes a uniquely disciplined person, to not at least stumble upon "right" at some point, but it happens.

 

[DonTee]

You know... it's possible to do something wrong, for decades on end. That takes a uniquely disciplined person, to not at least stumble upon "right" at some point, but it happens.

And that is very possible. I was honestly surprised when he said he had problems with ash. I’ll say this, he does take the time to season his wood for 2-3 years before burning it, but also has some questionable woodstove/chimney setups. I just don’t know why it would work with other hardwoods and not ash.

 

[Woodsplitter67]

Im kind of a wood snob, its doesn't bother me. I take all of the higher BTU wood I can. This past spring I got alot of copper beach. I primarily burn oak with cherry being the 2nd wood of choice. I have and will burn poplar. I dont sit on alot of it. Its a great shoulder season wood.. The best part is you can split it in January and its ready to burn 3 months later in April and may

 

[Ashful]

I think I said it 3 pages ago, but I won't burn poplar. It's really just not worth the time and effort to even split and stack it, when I always have a huge pile of oak (and more recently... EAB-killed ash) waiting for my attention.

I also feel the same way about pine, fir, spruce... really any softwood. Nothing against it, if I lived somewhere it was the only option, I'd burn it. But here, there's always more than enough high-BTU hardwood on the ground or standing dead, that only someone with a perverted desire to waste their time would touch anything less.

 

[stoveliker]

that only someone with a perverted desire to waste their time would touch anything less.

Or someone that just enjoys the whack and crack of an axe and doesn't want to pay a gym

I just like the variety of fuel. Keeps me thinking about what to do, how to time my reloads right depending on the fuel and burn time needed (I often run at larger than 12 hr reload schedules and without oil Tstat modulation on top, which means 1 full reload and a 'tide-me-over' one which requires some estimation/thinking). Keeps me actively managing the fire while having a boring stove. After all I like burning, but when there is nothing to do other than "stuff, close bypass, set thermostat" it gets boring and I'm not really feeling the caveman burning attitude anymore

 

[Ashful]

Or someone that just enjoys the whack and crack of an axe and doesn't want to pay a gym

I just like the variety of fuel. Keeps me thinking about what to do, how to time my reloads right depending on the fuel and burn time needed (I often run at larger than 12 hr reload schedules and without oil Tstat modulation on top, which means 1 full reload and a 'tide-me-over' one which requires some estimation/thinking). Keeps me actively managing the fire while having a boring stove. After all I like burning, but when there is nothing to do other than "stuff, close bypass, set thermostat" it gets boring and I'm not really feeling the caveman burning attitude anymore

I won't argue with you. We all gotta find what works best for our situation, and there are many factors involved. I think these threads are more useful for new burners, debating how they're going to eat this metaphorical elephant that is heating with wood, than for those of us already doing it to argue why our way is best.

In my case, I'm moving as much as a full cord of oak up to my house from the wood lot every third weekend. I'm so busy that I don't have time or space to mess around with sorting and selecting different species of wood, I just want to keep that wagon of wood rolling toward the stoves, and get back to work at making money. If I were burning less wood, or had more free time to devote toward it, I'm sure my perspective could change.