cottonwood hardwood or softwood

[WRW]

Our cotton wood is soft green, but actually it dries much harder than one would think. No btu's, though.

I've been told that some of it is exported for toothpicks, but other than that I don't know of a use for it.

I read, somewhere, that it makes good side boards for dump trucks cause it doesn't break off when the loaders hit it. FWIW.

 

[HuskerDolmar]

I just got done reading a BTU site and it's a bunch of BS. I will guarandamntee ya that cottonwood is better than any of the pine they have listed. Maybe our cottonwood is a little better because we live in a drier area than most of you. I don't EVER cut green cottonwood for burning purposes. I like a big, white, shiny tree. Nice hot fire.

 

[brncreeper]

This old cottonwood stump was hard as a rock.:censored:

 

[injun joe]

ok just wanted to clarify that it was bugging me. yeah around here thats pretty much all we have other that willow(crap) a few mulberry,pinion and tamarack also burn bad yeah my grandparents swear by the stuff and they have burned a lot of different kinds of wood.

 

[injun joe]

lmfoa i was curious when you say it smells i know it has a very strong smell when it is wet like sulphur or phosphorus but i know it only has that when it is wet. i dont know about the easy to cut thing though i think the mulberry is WAY easier to cut through than the cotton we had a mulberry tree that got uprooted and our ms 390 with a 28'' bar went through it easy and when we went to cut on the cotton wood the saw wouldnt cut good at all UNTIL i got the 075 out then it cut good. i have another ? how much heavier is a piece of wet cottonwood compared to other species of wood when wet.

 

[Mkarlson]

Give it a try I bet it will surprise you. Find you a big dead one that the bark is just falling off.There is nothing like the sound of a nice size, 2-3 feet diameter dead cottonwood hitting the ground, just look out cause its like an explosion, :censored: flys everywhere! And if you have a good splitter you can split it no problem!And as far as the smell for a fire pit its fine, dont let the talk about it stinking worry you. It smells like smoke it aint potpourri !
:greenchainsaw:

Thanks for the reply.......I cant think of a standing dead one right off the top right now, but will keep my eyes open. In fact I might just go look around today. Our river (wabash largest/longest in Indiana) floods several times a year and what do you think it brings down with it. You guessed it cottonwoods. Guess its a shame no one uses it for firewood.

 

[damifino]

I burn anything I can get. Obviously I would choose oak over cottonwood but if cottonwood is free and easy then I will gladly cut and burn cottonwood. It does burn faster then other wood so I burn it more on week end or evenings when I am around to add wood more often and use a better burning wood when I go to bed or leave for work. Only negative side is that it is hard to split if you split by hand.

 

[mowoodchopper]

Thanks for the reply.......I cant think of a standing dead one right off the top right now, but will keep my eyes open. In fact I might just go look around today. Our river (wabash largest/longest in Indiana) floods several times a year and what do you think it brings down with it. You guessed it cottonwoods. Guess its a shame no one uses it for firewood.

Your right it is a shame to just let it rot. Its not oak or elm or ash but it is wood and I hate to see it just lay there and rot. Besides it just makes a mess and that is the main thing about cottonwood it cant lay there dead for yrs like some wood can. You have to get it just right if it lays on the ground very long its worthless, if you catch it at the right time it will surprise you how hard it can be!
:greenchainsaw:

 

[mowoodchopper]

I burn anything I can get. Obviously I would choose oak over cottonwood but if cottonwood is free and easy then I will gladly cut and burn cottonwood. It does burn faster then other wood so I burn it more on week end or evenings when I am around to add wood more often and use a better burning wood when I go to bed or leave for work. Only negative side is that it is hard to split if you split by hand.

Nicely stated !! Everything has its place and there is a time and place to use it! You cant always have the best.
:greenchainsaw:

 

[ammoo74]

Not a lot of cottonwood in my area of Wisconsin, but there is some. It makes nice lumber for interior use where it will not get wet. We used to use it for the upper boards on wood gatyes that would be inside. The were light enough to move but still strong enough to hold livestock. Some people burn it. It should be good in outdoor boilers. The worst firewood around here is box elder, and there is a ton of it. Worst saw pinching stuff you will ever cut. Never grows straight, always hanging over fences, ditches, fields, etc.

 

[Sethro]

Not a lot of cottonwood in my area of Wisconsin, but there is some. It makes nice lumber for interior use where it will not get wet. We used to use it for the upper boards on wood gatyes that would be inside. The were light enough to move but still strong enough to hold livestock. Some people burn it. It should be good in outdoor boilers. The worst firewood around here is box elder, and there is a ton of it. Worst saw pinching stuff you will ever cut. Never grows straight, always hanging over fences, ditches, fields, etc.

Yep there are some big Cottonwoods along the Wisconsin river and islands amongst the Soft Maples.

 

[polexie]

Question from a European guy, is cottonwood a kind of popular, does anybody have the latin name.

Thanks in advance,

Lex

 

[Sethro]

It is in the Populus family.

 

[polexie]

Thanks John!

 

[Lakeside53]

I just got done reading a BTU site and it's a bunch of BS. I will guarandamntee ya that cottonwood is better than any of the pine they have listed. Maybe our cottonwood is a little better because we live in a drier area than most of you. I don't EVER cut green cottonwood for burning purposes. I like a big, white, shiny tree. Nice hot fire.

But.... it's BTU per pound of dry wood... Around here a big block of dry cottonwood weighs nothing when dry; the doug fir.. heavy. or.. I can put maybe 40 plb of fir in my firplace and it will last all night, but only 5-10lb of cotton wood. It burns very fast and leaves a ton of ash. Most is left to rot here.

Burning green? that's just wasting heat to dry the wood as it burns..

 

[brncreeper]

But.... it's BTU per pound of dry wood... Around here a big block of dry cottonwood weighs nothing when dry; the doug fir.. heavy. or.. I can put maybe 40 plb of fir in my firplace and it will last all night, but only 5-10lb of cotton wood. It burns very fast and leaves a ton of ash. Most is left to rot here.

Burning green? that's just wasting heat to dry the wood as it burns..

I tried burning some some of the blocks from that large cottonwood stump, pure garbage. I ended up hauling them all away to my parents farm to burn up.

 

[HuskerDolmar]

well if that's all your cottonwood weighs it must be crap. I am beginning to think that some of you guys are finding the worst piece of cottonwood that you can to burn. Maybe we are taking a different species or sub species. Because MY cottonwood has some staying qualities. Like I said it might be because I live in a drier enviroment than you all.:greenchainsaw:

 

[HuskerDolmar]

Cottonwood/poplar....it burns nicely in the fireplace...but aint worth spit in the wood furnace.

It's a hardwood...can be a bugger to split...but doesn't offer much up for btus/cord

Really! Me thinks your full of ####. I have a Hot Blast wood furnace and burn cottonwood in it 70% of the time. It is the heat we rely on 98% of the time and looking around I can't see that anyone if my family has ever aquired frostbite in our house. As for splitting, if it's dry it splits like a dream. If you are a big enough ******* to split is when green you deserve the trouble.

 

[woodbooga]

Until recently, I never had the luxury of being too picky in terms of species. I've burnt my share of lightweight low btu hardwoods. I can keep my home at the same temp with cottonwood as oak or sugar maple, just need to fill the firebox and empty the ash pan more frequently.

That said, one of my favorite pieces of firewood lore is that parents used to give marriage gifts of poplar firewwod to newlyweds as a way of promoting grandchildren, the idea being that burning poplar would induce the young couple to seek alternate ways of keeping warm.

 

[willsaw4beer]

well if that's all your cottonwood weighs it must be crap. I am beginning to think that some of you guys are finding the worst piece of cottonwood that you can to burn. Maybe we are taking a different species or sub species. Because MY cottonwood has some staying qualities. Like I said it might be because I live in a drier enviroment than you all.:greenchainsaw:

Maybe it's just because I'm in the hardwood capitol, but cottonwood/ poplar is worthless to me. Try burning a stovefull of cottonwood and then try burning a stove full of ash, hard maple, oak, birch, beech, cherry, hornbeam, hedge, etc... I suppose if it was the only wood you could get then I could see burning it but I wouldn't put it in the stove even if somebody dropped some off at the house and paid me a dump fee. You're better off burning pallets imo.