Poplar

[bcnu]

I read some of the archive info. I'm wondering if I can use it this fall. The trees were topped about 5 months ago, a mixture of limbs and some decent size rounds. I'll split most of it small and can leave it in a pile that will get sunlight the entire day. I want to use it for the shoulder months - especially this fall. I have a mixture of other woods, mainly smaller limbs/splits that are seasoned. I know that Poplar is on the worst 5 to burn list but it was free(well, I had to work pretty hard to get it but that's OK). I couldn't believe how easy the stuff split - I think I missed hitting it once and it still split. Then I read in one archive that said all you had to do was look at it sternly.

 

[burntime]

What do you have to lose? Split it and stack it, it should be close if you are in a warm dry climate.

 

[BrotherBart]

Also great stuff for building a coal bed fast for setting up a longer hardwood burn.

 

[Todd]

Don't leave it in a pile, stack it up off the ground so it receives max exposure to sun and wind.

 

[savageactor7]

I've been burning poplar for years and at least with the newer EPA stoves it burns a little longer. If your poplar was cut 5 months ago yeah split it up I'll betcha it burns fine...perfect shoulder season wood. Hell its tops, even they have to be pretty weather beaten by now.

It's also a great wood first thing in the morning...warms the house up quick.

 

[moshiersr]

It's basically all my Dad burns, it puts out decent heat, just burns quick. I have about 2 cords of it that have been cut and split since march, stacked in april, I'll let you know how it burns in october :lol:

 

[caber]

We have loads of poplar here and we've been burning it for years. Pluses - trees grow real fast, dries almost instantly, catches almost instantly and burns hot. Cons - burns real fast. You need to keep feeding it if that's all your using.

Whenever I need quick heat such as first thing in the morning, when I get home in the evening and the house is cold, etc. - I reach for the poplar. In minutes you have a roaring fire pumping out lots of heat. Great for chilly mornings when you just need a shot of heat while you wait for the sun to start warming. And the branches make great kindling.

Doesn't burn long overnight, tho. Gotta throw some hardwoods on top of it for a long burn. However, that was in a 20+ year old stove. I'll be interested to see if it lasts longer in the new one.

Stack it, keep it separate from your good hardwoods and use it in situations that call for it and you'll be happy.

 

[bcnu]

Thanks for the replys. I'm feeling a whole lot better about scoring some free Poplar.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

It's called gopher wood.

 

[begreen]

That's all I seem to do in the winter.

"Honey, can you gopher more wood?"