Wood Seasoning question

[gator1]

I'm kind of new to wood burning but just picked up an Avalon Rainier stand alone stove for just under $1000. With the oil prices rising I figured I can ease the pain a bit this year with wood. I have been out and about scrounging wood and have a question. Can Poplar be seasoned and burned effectively in six months. I use to cut and split wood for my grandparents and we would let that wood (apple) season for at least a year. I'm hopeing that the softer stuff wont take as long. Have it out in the yard stacked with almost full sun.

 

[Adios Pantalones]

Poplar is a very light wood, which usually dry faster. Split it smallish, and I think you'll be fine.

Apple is a lot more dense and seems to hold more water when fresh.

 

[Patapsco Mike]

I burned a lot of poplar many years ago. If you split it to small pieces, stack it properly and have it in a sunny spot it will easily dry in 6 months. It is not good wood for burning, though, it burns hot and fast. On the plus side, it splits if you just give it a stern look.

It does make fantastic kindling for fire starting, I'll give it that.

 

[gator1]

Thanks for the info. I wish I had access to the apple like we did years ago. It was a pain to split but my grandparents heated a whole house with an old Ben Franklin style stove with that stuff.

 

[Henz]

yeah should be. I am splittign everything small from now on jsut to make sure

 

[savageactor7]

... Can Poplar be seasoned and burned effectively in six months. I use to cut and split wood for my grandparents and we would let that wood (apple) season for at least a year. I'm hoping that the softer stuff wont take as long. Have it out in the yard stacked with almost full sun.

Oh yeah no problem..it's a soft wood that will burn hot and fairly quick...it's also my shoulder season wood. One year back in the 80's that's just about all we burned...it was kind of a pain to keep loading the stove at night but mission accomplished I cut all those Poplars in a certain area and now there's ash and maple taking over.

Poplar to me is like an evasive species cause it so prolific, I go out of my way to slay 'em. Every now and them out of now where a 6 ft stand of 40- 60 will appear and I'll just weed wack 'em or brush hog 'em...but it has its uses...great camp fire wood and shoulder season wood. Split it now and you can burn it this fall guaranteed.

 

[Carl]

Poplar should season in one summer easily. It is a softer hardwood but very plentyful so makes good fill in wood if you don't have the better hardwoods. Of course there is still ....PINE.....gulp....did I say Pine?

We have some apple yet and I burn it as they die. A very dense wood which has excellent burning qualities. Difficult to split.

 

[savageactor7]

I hear ya Carl about the apple...great burning wood but real difficult to harvest. All the ones I cut are not pruned orchard trees but wild crazy ones about 30' tall with many small pain in the butt small branches. Burns great, smells wonderful but you can't make any production on them. Even though it's a great burning wood I tend to avoid them...most of the time I'll ruthlessly prune them just to attack the dear...

...that way I can better justify my extra time with them. And yes, absolutely, you need a splitter unless your a Bachelor.