# How long to season tulip poplar?



## fields_mj (Jun 14, 2011)

I've been burning wood again now for about 3 years, and I've focused entirely on hardwoods. The property that I cut on was logged this last year, and there are LOTS of good firewood laying on the ground waiting for me. I already had next winter covered, and now with just a few more trips I'll have plenty of oak and hard maple for the following year. With that said, I've thought about cutting one or two loads of some tulip poplar for use in November and March. There are several that have been knocked down by the skidder, or cut down to make room. They are about 6"~8" in diameter, and I wouldn't split anythign smaller than 8". If I cut it and stack it now, how long would it take to dry out enough to burn half way decent in my wood furnace? I generally buck my firewood about 23" long. It would be stacked in a shaded area (I know not the best for quick drying), and I'd have a tarp over the top of the stack to help keep the rain off. Would soft maple be any faster? I've never dealt with either one. If it would be ready to go by this winter, I'll go ahead and cut a few loads. Otherwise, I'll cut it up this winter when it's more comfortable outside  

Thanks
Mark


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## Hedgerow (Jun 14, 2011)

Poplar dries pretty fast. If it were split, I'd say no problem burning it 4 - 5 months from now. Un-split and shaded? It'll burn, but you won't be pleased with it.


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## RAMROD48 (Jun 14, 2011)

Dont season it...haul it to the trash pile and be done with it...JUNK


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## Hedgerow (Jun 14, 2011)

RAMROD48 said:


> Dont season it...haul it to the trash pile and be done with it...JUNK


 
Eh... Call me an indiscriminant burner... I sell the good stuff, and burn what's left. All sorts of junk grows in fence rows. The key is to know what the burn characteristics of each wood is, and use it accordingly. Everyone likes Hedge, Oak, Hickory, etc., but around my place, it ALL gets burnt...
:after_boom:


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## morewood (Jun 14, 2011)

Around here the operative word is FREE. If it's FREE, I'll find a way and time to burn it. Seriously, a few months split and it will be fine.

Shea


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## Groundhog (Jun 14, 2011)

RAMROD48 said:


> Dont season it...haul it to the trash pile and be done with it...JUNK



Not as junky as true poplar/cottonwood/aspen....

I have never burned it but can only guess it would be slightly better than soft Maple??

<*)))>{


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## zogger (Jun 14, 2011)

*It's wet wood*

Most of the fast growing wood is really wet, so you want to split all of it if you want to burn it next winter. Burns OK, I use a lot of it here. Splits moderate, feels like axing into rubber. Fiskars either bounces off or she splits, no middle ground there. I wait for some decent cracks to show on tulip poplar. It's nopt heavy once it is well dried, and will throw heat if split small enough, or conversely, split larger and you just want "some" fire, not a roarer.

If I have to cut it, it goes on the wood pile, fullstop. I burn anything including tulip poplar and willow, even some pine, but that I make sure is well, well dried, like two years or more. 

Sweetgum I have love/hate, burns OK, dang vern just the nastiest crap to split. I try to avoid real big ones if possible, but I cut and burn a lot of smaller ones, they sprout up like weeds all over.


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## fields_mj (Jun 15, 2011)

Well, all of my wood is "free" or at least as free as it gets in that I don't have to pay for the opertunity to cut it. My issue has alwasy been a lack of time. There's very little time when the ground is dry enough or frozen enough to drive around this property without leaving a bunch of ruts every where or getting stuck, which I've done more than once. Setting the truck down on both axles with 4K~5K in the bed sucks! Trying to look a head it finally looks like I'm going to be able to get a little over 2 years a head on the wood cutting, so I can start looking for wood to burn when it's getting up near 50 during the day. I cleaned the top of a good size silver maple out of the lane way last summer. Maybe I'll go cut that. It's big enough to warrent splitting. With the poplar that I'm talking about, if you split it just once, it would still be kindling. 

Thanks,
Mark


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## dingeryote (Jun 15, 2011)

Get it split and stacked...or piled, and it should be good to go come November.

It's sopping wet and stays sopping wet untill it goes to Rot unless you do.

Left on the ground it will suck water through a dessert, and remain wet, but it gives up water as fast as it takes it.

It burns OK for a spring/Fall wood when ya need a quick start, or just to take the chill off. Best part is that it saves the good stuff for when it's needed, and is nice and light.

Stay safe!
Dingeryote


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## 1harlowr (Jun 15, 2011)

I cut up two larger tulips last June. Had to cut those to get the 30" cherries. Very heavy when wet, splits prettty easy if you leave it about a month. What I cut in June I burnt in Oct/Nov.ish last year. The pieces were left about 12" diameter and 24" long.
I've got lots of hardwood but was helping a friend out. 
Probably about the same as pine as to the btu's. Leaves almost no ash.
I wouldn't go out of my way to cut tulip poplar, but......


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## ray benson (Jun 15, 2011)

I have burned Tulip a few years ago. Cut easy, straight grained, split easy. Burned just fine. Wouldn't pass up getting any. I don't cover the wood with tarps till late september after a nice dry spell.


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## J.W Younger (Jun 15, 2011)

I've burned my share of black gum over the years, not good by hardwood standards. 
Sweet gum is a little beter and sum of it actually splits kinda easy.
The main think I try an do is get a firebox full of whatever it takes for a 12 hr burn. When its really cold and the units workin at capacity that don't leave a lot of room for junk.
Our winters are mild here compared too mosta you guys, so junk will work much of the winter if you know how to mix it.


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## fields_mj (Jun 15, 2011)

dingeryote said:


> It burns OK for a spring/Fall wood when ya need a quick start, or just to take the chill off. Best part is that it saves the good stuff for when it's needed, and is nice and light.
> 
> Stay safe!
> Dingeryote


 
That's all I'm looking for. I wouldn't waste my time with it for normal heating. I don't have enough room to store enough of it for that, nor do I have enough time to cut that much of it. But one or two truck loads of something like this would cut another $150 off my annual heating bill. 

The poplar trees are acutally in my way some times, but I'm particular about what I throw into any given truck load. I don't want a mix of wood that I have to sort out later, and like I said, most if it is too small to bother with splitting. The silver maple has at least a truck load, and maybe 2, and will certainly have to be split since it's over 24". Should do a good job at taking the chill off the house in November and March. I'll try to get that bucked and split and into a pile this weekend. The ground will likely be too soft to haul it out with the rain we are getting today, but at least it will be cut up and ready to haul out. I have 3 truck loads of red oak that needs to be bucked and split also. Should make for a good morning of cutting. Once the ground is dry, I can stop on my way home and load it into the truck.


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## Streblerm (Jun 18, 2011)

I like burning Tulip Poplar. It is not a true poplar from the cottonwood family rather a member of the magnolia family. I would say it is in the neighborhood of soft maple as far as BTU per cord. I burned tulip last November that I cut and split in late June. We had a fairly hot dry summer last year and it was stacked in a shady spot.


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## smokinj (Jun 18, 2011)

I burn tulip split and stack it will burn fine by Nov. Great for those days you dont want a lot of heat. Save the hardwood for colder days...Tulip is a hardwood but not to the firewood guys.


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## artbaldoni (Jun 19, 2011)

My OWB loves tulip it doesn't care what family or whether its hard or soft. It burns it and makes heat. I love it because its free. I refuse to be a wood snob and I agree "if I have to cut it, I burn it". The logger left all the poplar smaller that 24" when he pulled out in December and I am already burning some of it for summer fires for DHW. Lasts about 3 days per fill. It will mix in with all the other wood when stacked for the winter and I bet I'll still fill the stove twice a day when its 20* outside. otstir:


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## Alan Smith (Jun 19, 2011)

*tulip poplar?*

tulip poplar is good wood nov & dec &march & april or for water heat when you need to


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## fields_mj (Jun 21, 2011)

There are several of the poplars down on this farm, but like I said, most of them are pretty small. Now that I'm getting far enough a head on my hardwood, I can almost afford the time to go back and cut some of this stuff for the warmer days. With my current circumstances, I probably wait on the poplar and cut it late next winter/spring. Then I know it will be in good shape the following season even if I don't split it.


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