# burning/splitting poplar



## woodlumn (Mar 5, 2008)

Hi there,

I've found a lot of great info on this site, but this is my first post.

I recently became the recipient of a lot of tulip poplar. about a dumptruck's worth of it! I've read that this isn't the best burning wood, but I've also read that it's not bad, especially if it's free.

So I've got two questions: 

1. What are your opinions on burning tulip poplar? (I heat my home with an outdoor wood furnace.)


2. The wood is cut up as 6" thick discs (about 24" diameter). What is the best way to split and stack this stuff?

Thanks for your advice!


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## mga (Mar 5, 2008)

i've cut and split poplar...not tulip poplar, but poplar trees. they burn quick and hot as long as they are seasoned right.


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## RaisedByWolves (Mar 5, 2008)

Let them dry a little, lay them on the ground and smack them with a sledge or maul. Youll wind up with 2 big D shaped pieces that will fit in your OWB and will burn for a while due to their thickness.



.


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## woodlumn (Mar 5, 2008)

Thanks for the advice!

I figured the "D" shape would be the answer.

Any tips on how to stack those Ds for proper seasoning?


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## Wood Scrounge (Mar 5, 2008)

I burn a lot of tulip poplar it burns hot and fast as long as it's dry.


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## hydro2 (Mar 5, 2008)

I have burnt a great deal of it also. Not oak, but does fine.


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## Husky137 (Mar 5, 2008)

Poplar will pretty much split just by looking at it. I wouldn't bother stacking it, you'll be too busy shoveling it into the OWB. But free wood is free wood.


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## doubletodd (Mar 5, 2008)

ditto don't know of a way to stack those, throw in apile and burn


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## acer saccharum (Mar 5, 2008)

However you pile it up, keep the cut faces apart so it can dry. 

Free heat is.. free. I has several years worth of poplar at one point and my oil bill was close to zero. But it definitely burns pretty quick. You will be going outside to reload your burner quite a bit if that is all you have to burn.


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## woodlumn (Mar 6, 2008)

well, I've got a dump truck and a half's worth of these poplar cookies here, and about two cords worth of free pine as well. 

I got pretty excited with all this free stuff, but now I think I'll get pickier and limit the next couple of scores to just hardwoods...figure I can mix it all together and be alright!


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## buckwheat (Mar 6, 2008)

Try to keep your poplar off the ground and dry while it is seasoning; otherwise it'll start sprouting fungus all over.


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## Zodiac45 (Mar 6, 2008)

hydro2 said:


> I have burnt a great deal of it also. Not oak, but does fine.



LOL Oak it ain't! I got some red oak (big stuff) that was on the ground for 2 years. After bucking and splitting it, I still seasoned it for an additional 2 years and am burning it now mixed with some hot burning tamerack. It's just perfect and makes a nice big bed of coals.


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## habanero (Mar 6, 2008)

Husky137 said:


> Poplar will pretty much split just by looking at it.



You must have some different poplar from what I got (at least the arborist I got it from called it poplar). The stuff I have is insanely difficult to split (mind you this is using a maul). To put it one way, a couple months ago I had a pile of green elm and the pile of poplar to split. I'd already started enough on the poplar to know better, and chose the elm.


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## bama (Mar 6, 2008)

I just started cutting up some blowdowns in the back from a storm over a year ago. I had already cut the base from the stump and it was still wet when trying to burn it. White poplar is what we have here(that is the color). Maybe it is Quaking Aspen?? It was even sitting off the ground.

I will burn it since I really need it. I am out of my seasoned wood in the garage.


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## Wood Scrounge (Mar 6, 2008)

habanero said:


> You must have some different poplar from what I got (at least the arborist I got it from called it poplar). The stuff I have is insanely difficult to split (mind you this is using a maul). To put it one way, a couple months ago I had a pile of green elm and the pile of poplar to split. I'd already started enough on the poplar to know better, and chose the elm.



hmm, the tulip poplar I burn will split if I just stare at it long enough.


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## RaisedByWolves (Mar 6, 2008)

Yep, the Poplar just pops apart.



When my nephew and his buddies come to split they allways want to try the axe for some fun. I go to the pile and select a huge round of pop and whack it up in no time.


Then I set a chunk of Sycamore or Oak up and let them hack at it for an hour, all the while telling them their just weak.:greenchainsaw: 



.


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## habanero (Mar 6, 2008)

Wood Scrounge said:


> hmm, the tulip poplar I burn will split if I just stare at it long enough.



It's quite possible this stuff isn't poplar, then. This is the first poplar I've ever been around and all that was left was the trunk sections (so no leaves or seeds to go by for ID). Since the guy had been through all the arborist training, I assumed he knew what he was talking about, but then again I know a lot of educated idiots (comes from working at universities most of my career). 

Whatever the stuff is, it is insanely difficult to split and is just going to sit there until I bring Dad's splitter back the next time I'm home.


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## Geez (Mar 7, 2008)

habanero said:


> It's quite possible this stuff isn't poplar, then. This is the first poplar I've ever been around and all that was left was the trunk sections (so no leaves or seeds to go by for ID). Since the guy had been through all the arborist training, I assumed he knew what he was talking about, but then again I know a lot of educated idiots (comes from working at universities most of my career).
> 
> Whatever the stuff is, it is insanely difficult to split and is just going to sit there until I bring Dad's splitter back the next time I'm home.



Well, I took down a huge, dead poplar tree last fall and it sure didn't split easy. Kinda tore apart, leaving jagged sawtooth edges to the splits. I've split some stuff from younger trees that split nice, but the main part of that biggun was a bear. And I used to be in the tree care business, so I know my trees. Definitely poplar.


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## habanero (Mar 7, 2008)

Geez said:


> Well, I took down a huge, dead poplar tree last fall and it sure didn't split easy. Kinda tore apart, leaving jagged sawtooth edges to the splits. I've split some stuff from younger trees that split nice, but the main part of that biggun was a bear. And I used to be in the tree care business, so I know my trees. Definitely poplar.



How you describe it splitting is what I'm seeing with the stuff I have. It doesn't so much split as tear apart-but it's not stringy like elm. Harder than he!! too; the maul sort of bounces off the first several hits (13lb monster maul). This trunk I have is probably around 16" DBH, so it's an older tree.


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## acer saccharum (Mar 7, 2008)

This thread inspired me to open up my tree identification book. There are multiple unrelated trees that are commonly called Poplar. So it is quite possible that everybody has correctly identified their wood.

The only gripe I have about my book, I forget the title but it is published by Audubon, is that it does not describe the wood. It has the bark, leaves, flowers fruit and sketch of the tree, but no cut wood.


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## LumberjkChamp (Mar 8, 2008)

*me too*



acer saccharum said:


> This thread inspired me to open up my tree identification book. There are multiple unrelated trees that are commonly called Poplar. So it is quite possible that everybody has correctly identified their wood.
> 
> The only gripe I have about my book, I forget the title but it is published by Audubon, is that it does not describe the wood. It has the bark, leaves, flowers fruit and sketch of the tree, but no cut wood.



Hey, I did the same thing as also....kinda had me thinking a little (a rare occurance) everyone is talking about interlocking grain, comparing poplar to elm...maybe its yellow poplar. How about some pics, woodlumn...to help us all out... if its possible


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## user 19670 (Mar 8, 2008)

acer saccharum said:


> This thread inspired me to open up my tree identification book. There are multiple unrelated trees that are commonly called Poplar. So it is quite possible that everybody has correctly identified their wood.
> 
> The only gripe I have about my book, I forget the title but it is published by Audubon, is that it does not describe the wood. It has the bark, leaves, flowers fruit and sketch of the tree, but no cut wood.



We have that book too. I like it but for that reason but am not sure there is a book that describes the wood.


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## abohac (Mar 8, 2008)

woodlumn said:


> Hi there,
> 
> I've found a lot of great info on this site, but this is my first post.
> 
> ...


I have never heard of "Tulip Poplar" but Poplar or Cotton wood up here (Michigan) doesn't burn too bad. If you can, don't split them at all and roll them into your stove whole, them but some good dry stuff around it. If you are going to keep it very long I would suggest splitting it (however, up here it can get a little stringy, kinda like Elm) because it seems to start to rot just under the bark if not split. Anyway, if you have an outdoor furnace, just burn it.


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## woodlumn (Mar 11, 2008)

LumberjkChamp said:


> How about some pics, woodlumn...to help us all out... if its possible



Will do - I'll post 'em up tomorrow.

By the way, I was using one of these poplar discs as a base to split other logs on and before too long, 1/4 of it sheered off, like a pie piece. I'll bet I'll be able to karate chop these things when they're dry...


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## LumberjkChamp (Mar 11, 2008)

woodlumn said:


> Will do - I'll post 'em up tomorrow.
> 
> I'll look in tomorrow to check 'em out. One of my books has some pretty good descriptions of the actual wood itself. I'm eager to see what it looks like.


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## woodlumn (Mar 12, 2008)

ah man, I forgot the memory card _in_ my camera at home today. I'm sorry! tomorrow, pics...


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## LumberjkChamp (Mar 12, 2008)

woodlumn said:


> ah man, I forgot the memory card _in_ my camera at home today. I'm sorry! tomorrow, pics...



No problem. I'll be around.


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## woodlumn (Mar 13, 2008)

okay, here are a couple of pics


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## buckwheat (Mar 13, 2008)

That's definitely what we call poplar here in central PA. It's a very fast growing hardwood that ends up being used for both veneer and milled into wood trim, especially the fancy scrolled stuff. It takes stain very well, and doesn't expand/contract as much as softwood trim.

What I've noticed is that the trees have a "tap root" which goes deep, but if it snaps, the whole tree comes down.

If you leave it on the ground like that, its going to start sprouting fungus after a few rains. After it dries for a bit, you'll get more of those cracks and the bark will practically fall off.

As for firewood, it works well as "day wood" for use in early fall and late spring. If its dry it will light rather easily and build a good hot fire, but it won't last as long as oak or locust. On warmer days you can build a fire with, turn the stove back all the way, and it should do just fine to keep the house comfortable. It does create a lot of ashes, though.

Because it's fast growing, it has a very long grain, and splits easily. With those cookies, I'll bet you can eventually just drop them on a rock and they'll break apart.


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## woodlumn (Mar 13, 2008)

sounds about right, buckwheat.

the plan is to move that pile this weekend (it's sort of an eyesore in the front of our house) and stack it elsewhere. it's pretty wet still, but I'm going to try to split it anyway.


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## habanero (Mar 13, 2008)

woodlumn said:


> ...the plan is to move that pile this weekend (it's sort of an eyesore in the front of our house) and stack it elsewhere...



I can't see your pics because my work network blocks them, but that's blasphemy to call a wood pile an eyesore!!


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## woodlumn (Mar 13, 2008)

hahaha, believe me, I appreciate it. 

but I'll appreciate it even more once it's split and stacked


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## LumberjkChamp (Mar 13, 2008)

*Yellow-Poplar?*

Hey woodlumn, looks like what you may have is yellow-poplar, which is commonly refered to as tulip-poplar as you had initially said. However, the fault in the "looks like" method of identification is that I dont know if I'm looking at a tree I've never seen before. But it does appear to be the same as the one in my book- but its still tough to be sure. Yellow-poplar is described in the book Understanding Wood  by R. Bruce Hoadley as being moderately soft and moderately light with an average specific gravity of 0.42. Its heartwood is green or greenish brown, sometimes with shades of purple, blue, black, yellow, or streaks of different colors. Sapwood is creamy or grayish white and its growth rings are distinctly visible. 

Does all this info help? Is this what you have? It seems like buckwheat is right on with its ID, burning characteristics, and ease of splitting.


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## bowtechmadman (Mar 13, 2008)

Don't think I'd split them but then again the door to my OWB is big enough to let me put them in whole.
Free is free...definately good for spring and fall when you don't require as much heat!
Good luck w/ the splitting.


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