Worth burning Poplar?

[nola mike]

Just got a truck full of poplar (about 1/3 cord). I knew it wasn't exactly BTU heavy, but was surprised at how crappy it actually is. If I had more room I'd get it just to get a quick fire going or for shoulder season (any day now...), but I don't. I LOVE splitting it though, so that's almost worth it. I'm hoping that it will season quickly, but can't find any info. I'm guessing it will be plenty burnable by next year?

 

[jetsam]

Yep! I don't like it as much as pine, but it dries fast and burns fine. It's a good wood to grab if you need something for next year. Split and topcover it now and it will be more than ready next year.

(Also, what kind of truck holds 1/3 cord? Did it say "Fiat Mini" on it?)

 

[yooper08]

Generally not something people go looking for, but if you have it, you're right it's fine for shoulder season. As for seasoning, it won't be ready for this year if you're just now splitting it. Next year, definitely.

 

[yooper08]

1/3 of a cord is one face cord if cut at 16" lengths.

 

[jetsam]

1/3 of a cord is one face cord if cut at 16" lengths.

There's no widely adopted standard as to what a "face cord" is. If you buy wood, don't buy a face cord without getting the seller to tell you how much wood it is.

(Honestly, don't buy a face cord at all unless the seller is clearly disclosing the volume of wood that they are trying to sell- otherwise the seller is probably looking to capitalize on the confusion around face cords, and will find some other way to be dishonest about your transaction. "One Face Cord"- bad. "One Face Cord- 48" x 96" x 18" "- good.)

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Face_cord

 

[yooper08]

There's no widely adopted standard as to what a "face cord" is.

Agree with you regarding sellers, but I'd say the generally accepted standard is right in the wiki article you linked to.

"Width and height is typically the same as a cord, but the depth can vary."

Hence for discussion point, 1/3 of a cord should be 1 face cord at 16" lengths.

 

[bholler]

Agree with you regarding sellers, but I'd say the generally accepted standard is right in the wiki article you linked to.

"Width and height is typically the same as a cord, but the depth can vary."

Hence for discussion point, 1/3 of a cord should be 1 face cord at 16" lengths.

No a face cord is 4' x 8' by how ever long your wood is. It is not a real measurement.

 

[firefighterjake]

Not one of my favorite woods to burn . . . in fact I'll pretty much only process poplar if it falls down in my yard or it's in my way . . . and even then I would rather burn other "softwoods" before burning poplar. It will burn though and make heat . . . so if one needs wood, there is that.

 

[yooper08]

No a face cord is 4' x 8' by how ever long your wood is. It is not a real measurement.

...and 4'x8'x16" is 1/3 of 4'x8'x4'...

 

[regency]

I agree a face cord is generally thought to be 4x8x16”. 16” is a typical size log. If someone likes to cut they’re logs 3ft long that’s they’re perogative

 

[regency]

Exactly

 

[Highbeam]

Lots of people have nothing to burn except for poplar and cottonwood and heat their homes just fine. It works just fine, you will need more of it to get the same amount of energy as say oak but you may be okay with that since the poplar can be had for free.

If you try to burn wet poplar, as it sounds you are, then you will waste a lot of that wood's small amount of energy just boiling out water which makes it seem worse than it is.

You are just as likely to be screwed by a seller selling face cords as you are by a seller selling actual cords. As long as you are happy with the price and the volume then the seller can call them banana cords.

 

[bholler]

...and 4'x8'x16" is 1/3 of 4'x8'x4'...

Yes but it can also be 4x8x12 or 4x8x18 or 4x8x24 that is why in many states the only way to legally sell firewood is by the cord or fractions there of.

And no i dont bother with poplar

 

[yooper08]

Yes but it can also be 4x8x12 or 4x8x18 or 4x8x24 that is why in many states the only way to legally sell firewood is by the cord or fractions there of.

...nola mike said he received 1/3 of a cord...

I'm pretty sure I haven't said anything controversial here in the context of the conversation to spark a debate about face cords. My original comment on the subject was related to the fact that a Fiat Mini, presumably the Fiat 500 or Mini Cooper, couldn't fit the wood in it (unless maybe you played some serious Tetris).

 

[Woody5506]

poplar is fine if it's free and it's not extremely cold out.


Around here in Rochester NY and surrounding areas firewood is pretty much ONLY sold by the face cord to the point where people don't even know that a cord is something different from a face cord, and you'll often have to take this into consideration when someone claims to have 7 cords split/unseasoned for sale for $425........Which is something I just saw on CL about half an hour ago.

 

[nola mike]

Wow, that got off topic quickly! The wood was easy to get, and it's fun to split. I'm usually 2 years ahead on my wood. I'll split it next week and see how it looks in March, and otherwise next year. The other possible use for it is at my second house; I keep that at 45' when I'm not there and it's a groan to heat up. The oak takes a long time to get going, and there's a long coaling cycle. Pine actually works better except for overnight. The poplar might light off quickly, and I can do a couple of reloads after I get there and before I get to bed. It's a Ranger, btw.

 

[regency]

Yes but it can also be 4x8x12 or 4x8x18 or 4x8x24 that is why in many states the only way to legally sell firewood is by the cord or fractions there of.

And no i dont bother with poplar

Nope, 4x8x24 would not be a facecord anywhere, it would be half a cord (not that people sell that way) a facecord is known as 16” hence three of them being in a cord, not really debatable

 

[yooper08]

nola mike, sorry I mentioned the term face cord. To all others, let's end the discussion on what a face cord is or is not for his sake.

 

[Ashful]

Just got a truck full of poplar (about 1/3 cord). I knew it wasn't exactly BTU heavy, but was surprised at how crappy it actually is. If I had more room I'd get it just to get a quick fire going or for shoulder season (any day now...), but I don't. I LOVE splitting it though, so that's almost worth it. I'm hoping that it will season quickly, but can't find any info. I'm guessing it will be plenty burnable by next year?

Any bug-free wood dropped in my yard is worth burning, but don’t expect much staying power from poplar. I have previously mentioned ripping thru a full cord of wood in 8 days, and that is because it was almost all poplar.

Since you have it, id burn it when you’re home, and save your other woods for when you need longer burn times.

I'm pretty sure I haven't said anything controversial here in the context of the conversation to spark a debate about face cords. My original comment on the subject was related to the fact that a Fiat Mini, presumably the Fiat 500 or Mini Cooper, couldn't fit the wood in it (unless maybe you played some serious Tetris).

I could fit a face cord in a Fiat 500, with room to spare. Just make the split length short enough.

 

[toddnic]

I burn poplar daily during the shoulder season! It, along with hemlock and some pine, get me some good hot morning fires that warm the house quickly for the day.

 

[bholler]

Nope, 4x8x24 would not be a facecord anywhere, it would be half a cord (not that people sell that way) a facecord is known as 16” hence three of them being in a cord, not really debatable

So you can only buy one length wood in your area?

 

[jetsam]

I like to have softwoods for short hot burns. I wouldn't go out in the woods to

...nola mike said he received 1/3 of a cord...

I'm pretty sure I haven't said anything controversial here in the context of the conversation to spark a debate about face cords. My original comment on the subject was related to the fact that a Fiat Mini, presumably the Fiat 500 or Mini Cooper, couldn't fit the wood in it (unless maybe you played some serious Tetris).

A full cord is 128cf.

(broken link removed) 2-3 cf have to ride in the passenger seat, and you have 1/3 of a cord.

All The Best Stuff Happens After The Derailment™.

 

[regency]

So you can only buy one length wood in your area?

I haven’t bought any before but would love it if someone would sell me a “facecord” that is 24” long for 65 bucks, the expectation is 16”

 

[bholler]

I haven’t bought any before but would love it if someone would sell me a “facecord” that is 24” long for 65 bucks, the expectation is 16”

But the problem is expectations mean nothing. A face cord is a stack of wood 4'high by 8' wide by the lenght of your split. I burnt 24" wood for years so my face cords were 1/2 cord. There are guys here who sell cookstove wood at 12" so 1/4 cord. And furnace wood at 36" 3/4 cord. That is why legally here you need to sell fractions of a cord because that is a legally defined measurement.

 

[yooper08]

I could fit a face cord in a Fiat 500, with room to spare. Just make the split length short enough.

Makes me think of those "how-many-people-can-we-possibly-squeeze-in" challenges with people hanging out of windows, standing through the sunroof... I'll believe it when I see it In the Gucci edition.