Cotton Wood

[kirby33]

Besides being "JUNK" is there any use for the wood like for carving or something?
I got two that come down cause the creek under mined the roots saving me the
work of cutting em down. Thanks

 

[D Mc]

It is good for wood carving. It is the preferred wood for the carvers around here who produce the small and large scultures; eagles, bears, whatever.

If it is milled into (thick) boards, it is excellent for lining horse stalls as the wood splinters are soft and don't penetrate. Plus it has good shock absorption. (Used in old truck and trailer beds.)

Not good for railing with horses as they will chew through it readily. Indians actually fed their horses cottonwood during severe winters.

Also because of it's high ash content when burned, it is good for banking hardwood fires for the night. Also it burns at just the right temperature for baking (turkeys, roasts, etc.).

Pretty useful "Junk".

D and S Mc

 

[farmer]

I sawed cottonwood into 2x6 and 2x8's. They are a full 2 inches and full dimensions the other way. It is strong but won't hold up to moisture. I have used it for general construction and planks for roof jacks and scaffold planks. It is usually clear witch makes it stronger for planks. Better than lumberyard stuff.

 

[fubar2]

Ive got a question for you Westerners. How does what you call Cottonwood compare to Quaking Aspen? In Ohio we have Quaking Aspen and sometimes call it cottonwood. Anybody know what the difference is if there is any? By the pics Ive seen of yours it appears to grow much bigger than here if it is the same thing.

 

[farmer]

I'm not a westerner but we have both quaking aspen and cotttonwood here in ny. Cottonwood gets much bigger. I have seen cottonwood 48" dbh and quaking aspen about 18". The wood is similar, pretty light and soft.

 

[D Mc]

fubar2, Here in the west when someone refers to a Cottonwood they are generally referring to a Populas deltoides or P. trichocarpa The Quaking aspen is in the same genus but different species, Populas tremuloides.

Cottonwoods live around 100 or so years and can get over 100 ft tall. In fact the P. trichocarpa is the tallest native western hardwood. We have Cottonwoods here with 6 - 8' dbh.

The Quaking aspen is a short-lived tree (individually although the groves live a long time) that is typically around 25 - 35' ht max with 1 - 1 1/2' dbh. The leaves on an aspen are set perpendicular to their flattened petiole which gives them the "quaking" appearance in the wind. We don't find as many uses for the aspen wood as the cottonwood.

D and S Mc

 

[BC WetCoast]

fubar2, Here in the west when someone refers to a Cottonwood they are generally referring to a Populas deltoides or P. trichocarpa The Quaking aspen is in the same genus but different species, Populas tremuloides.

Cottonwoods live around 100 or so years and can get over 100 ft tall. In fact the P. trichocarpa is the tallest native western hardwood. We have Cottonwoods here with 6 - 8' dbh.

The Quaking aspen is a short-lived tree (individually although the groves live a long time) that is typically around 25 - 35' ht max with 1 - 1 1/2' dbh. The leaves on an aspen are set perpendicular to their flattened petiole which gives them the "quaking" appearance in the wind. We don't find as many uses for the aspen wood as the cottonwood.

D and S Mc

Aspen is a major component of OSB (oriented strand board).

Cottonwood is the major species used in toilet paper and tissues.

 

[AKRover]

I have seen it used as plank siding on a shed before with the bark left on. It looked pretty good but who knows how long it will last.

 

[masterarbor]

the bark will start thinking of falling off in a few months

 

[techdave]

A Taller western harwood than the cottonwood??

Valley Oak, Q. lobata. The giant oak of Visalia California was 178 feet tall.

I am not sure how tall the biggest one today is, but its 9.3 feet dbh. In Butte or Amador county.

One south of Covelo is 163 feet

If not taller still very tall, especially for such a broad tree!!

 

[techdave]

ps-good use for cottonwood=Hopi

dolls (katsina) commonly known as katchina, from the roots.