Free Poplar. Fit to burn?

Hi guys,

There are a lot of green Poplar trees in my area and now that Spring has sprung, there are a fair amount of people cleaning up their yards, clearing areas for new construction and electrical crews cleaning up feed/service lines which leads to an abundance of green Poplar free for the taking, sometimes even junked!

My question is whether I should bother to grab it and let it season. I hear that Poplar makes a bitter smoke and that it is "spongy". I normally only burn Fir, Spruce & Birch.

Any of you guys burn Poplar with success? Should I bother?

fast buring wood but i've never had any problems with it.

i burned about 2 cords of it one year.

Poplar makes excellent kindling, and gets sa fire going fast. Just mix it in with your other wood if you burn larger pieces.

I'm surprised that it's a fast burning wood, in that case it would be great to mix in with a round fir junk or something to keep the heat up.

Thanks for the comments, I am still curious as to why other people around here treat it as "junk wood", perhaps it's because of the abundance of spruce, which gives more heat per cord if I recall correctly.

My parents burned poplar mixed with oak and maple when they lived in Michigan. Cuts easy, splits easy. I wouldn't pass it up.

I burn some poplar in with the rest of my wood. Its not the wood to have if you are looking for an all night burn. For free i would definitely take it and mix it in !!

here's a pic of the poplar pile off the last job,make two cuts pil'er up :biggrinbounce2:



got to split it 'fore the mushrooms apear :monkey:

I've been trying to find some poplar, not for burning, but to mill into boards and to play around cutting cookies. No luck so far, all I find is elm and sycamore.

Ian

A100HVA said:

here's a pic of the poplar pile off the last job,make two cuts pil'er up :biggrinbounce2:

got to split it 'fore the mushrooms apear :monkey:

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Nice looking rig you got there! :rockn:

Around here poplar is known as "day wood" because it starts fairly easy but doesn't generate the heat output that oak or locust will. Its good for early fall and late spring. Its a fast growing tree with a straight trunk, so its also popular for veneer logs and pulp mills.

I find its very easy to cut and buck up, seasons quickly once split, but also creates alot of ashes. In winter, I'll usually start a fire using poplar, build a bed of coals, then switch to denser wood.

Don't let it lay long on the ground, or you'll get mushrooms and fungi growing on it, like was written earlier.

I hear it creates a lot more ash than other types of wood, but haven't burned enough of it to notice myself. This is my first year in a house with a fireplace.

It's certainly worth taking. Poplar does burn a bit faster and doesn't throw quite as much heat, but it makes great firewood for late fall and early spring. It's also good for the days when you're home to tend the fire.

The best firewood is free firewood!

It's worth using if not too much work/hauling is involved. You can find the BTU content in tables. Much lower than oak/hickory.

It's a great cabinetry wood, especially painted, but takes some stains well and makes good bookshelves and such. It's a shame to burn up good sawlogs!

It's the traditional house/barn siding in many places. I cut it on a Woodmizer for my house siding...dipped it in oil stain and dried in a rack before installing. Poplar was the siding throughout Williamsburg...pit sawn as long as 40' !!

Just keep it dry...won't take extended periods of moisture. Cuts beautifully and is stable...was the secondary wood on much furniture throughout the years.

Jack_Shaft said:

I'm surprised that it's a fast burning wood, in that case it would be great to mix in with a round fir junk or something to keep the heat up.

Thanks for the comments, I am still curious as to why other people around here treat it as "junk wood", perhaps it's because of the abundance of spruce, which gives more heat per cord if I recall correctly.

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i burn just about any wood i can get my hands on. people throw away some excellent wood because it isn't "desirable" wood. many people think they should only burn hardwoods and nothing else.

their loss....my gain. i have about 10 60 foot poplar trees out back still standing. the ones the ants got into i have cut down and burned. the nice thing is i can drop anyone of them and when they fall, it's like an earth quake. nice feeling when they drop like that...BOOM!

I think the operative word is "FREE".....free wood is usually good wood,as long as there's some value left in it.

TooTall999 said:

free wood is usually good wood,as long as there's some value left in it.

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That's deep man!

Poplar will burn fine just be sure to season it. The best wood is free wood and accessable free wood is even better!

I like poplar as starter wood. It won't leave good coal, but it'll get your hardwoods going. Makes starting a fire a real breeze. I can't speak for the OWB folks, because they probably like a heavier wood, but for a woodstove, its the best kindling going. You'll need a screen if you burn in an open fireplace....stuff spits like a cobra.

I hear that Poplar makes a bitter smoke

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I used to smoke quit a bit of poplar when I was younger. I never noticed the bitter smoke but i always had a hard time keeping the chunks of wood inside the rolling paper.

I have split most of the poplar and will let it season over the rest of the Summer and next Summer before I try to burn it. Warm weather only lasts from June to September here, so it will probably take two seasons to dry properly.

More to come!