Would you sell Poplar as Hardwood firewood?

[branchbuzzer]

Thanks for the chat guys, it really has helped me reflect on the situation a bit. The first 12 cords where a test run to check quality, quantity and how clean it was. It was great.

He flat out told me he sells dark hardwood like oak green and the white woods seasoned.

Bottom line right or wrong it was a poor business move on his part and would be a poor business move on my part to sell it without telling my customers what they are getting. I would have to sell it at a greatly reduced rate.

I'm pissed about it, which has caused me to look for another source. I have found another source that will give me 100% red oak and will charge me 10% less without any negotiating. I'm getting a load on Sunday.

So just to be clear, 'cuz I've been trying to figure out the entire thread just what the original agreement was, you haven't yet paid for the "50 cords"? You paid as each load was delivered? The original post said you bought 50 cords, so I think many assumed you'd already paid.

 

[branchbuzzer]

Every single one asked what types and % of each kind of wood they would expect.

You know, that sounds like a great way to buy firewood....

Black birch is fine firewood!

It ain't just fine, it's sweet..... : )

 

[CUCV]

You know, that sounds like a great way to buy firewood....

LOL I guess I'm green when it comes to buying wood, just good at selling it.

I have used 3 wood suppliers over the years (this guy is the 4th) The 1st and still use him occasionally sells me large wood he can't get through is processor. I'm just sick of fighting large rounds. The second doesn't want to haul from Maine to NH anymore. The third's prices got out of control.


I paid for the 1st 12 cord when the first 4 cord showed up and it went like that. Generally I was out cash without wood. Lately he started flakin out. This 50+ cords was supposed to be delivered months ago. He was paid for the poplar load on 9-30 it got delivered 11-30.

 

[Gypo Logger]

In colder climates poplar is very slow growing and denser than in more warmer climates.
I cut some dead poplar today and it has lotsa heat, in fact I had to shut the stove completely down to keep it comfortable and it's -20 here.
They say poplar leaves lottsa ash though.
Wouldn't a ton of poplar have as much heat as a ton of oak?
John

 

[CUCV]

In colder climates poplar is very slow growing and denser than in more warmer climates.
I cut some dead poplar today and it has lotsa heat, in fact I had to shut the stove completely down to keep it comfortable and it's -20 here.
They say poplar leaves lottsa ash though.
Wouldn't a ton of poplar have as much heat as a ton of oak?
John

If we only sold by the ton!

 

[branchbuzzer]

In colder climates poplar is very slow growing and denser than in more warmer climates.

Along that line, I've noticed that branches from mature yellow poplar trees are much denser than a similar sized sapling, which are equal to feathers when dried out. I thought about looking it up, but it's just poplar after all.

I've been known to be heard saying "The only good poplar, is a DEAD poplar!" as I make the felling cut.

I cut some dead poplar today and it has lotsa heat, in fact I had to shut the stove completely down to keep it comfortable and it's -20 here.

It does burn hot, just not as long. I'd think it would be relatively decent up that far.

They say poplar leaves lottsa ash though.

I've been wondering why that's so important to some people. Are there now ash disposal fees!?!

Wouldn't a ton of poplar have as much heat as a ton of oak?
John

Yep, if dried out. All wood same per lb.

 

[woodbooga]

If we only sold by the ton!

Unfortunate thing is you bought that popple green. Were you to have paid by weight, a lot of your investment would have evaporated in the seasoning.

But yes, a good general rule is that all species contain about the same heat content per pound. Just brought in 2 good armloads. Oak for tonight. Heavy. A comparable volume of white pine for tomorrow morning's refire. Nuffin weight wise.

 

[woodbooga]

I've been wondering why that's so important to some people. Are there now ash disposal fees!?!

Never much understood this either. Emptying out the ash bucket more often adds to the work involved...but I consider the ash to be a useful byproduct and use it to fertilize the garden and the lawn.

 

[Gypo Logger]

Along that line, I've noticed that branches from mature yellow poplar trees are much denser than a similar sized sapling, which are equal to feathers when dried out. I thought about looking it up, but it's just poplar after all.

I've been known to be heard saying "The only good poplar, is a DEAD poplar!" as I make the felling cut.

It does burn hot, just not as long. I'd think it would be relatively decent up that far.


I've been wondering why that's so important to some people. Are there now ash disposal fees!?!


Yep, if dried out. All wood same per lb.

Wow, it sure is gopher wood, was wondering why it was getting cold in here, looked in the stove and just a bunch of coals!
Sure is a fast heat though. I guess the more ashes the more the heat is held, but also the less wood you can fit in the firebox.
All in all I don't mind the poplar as all else we got up here is pine a spruce.
It all has alot to due with the burning appliance as well.

Makes ya wonder why the coldest climates have the least BTU wood and vice versa.
It's all about a global warming that used to be a few million years ago,
John

 

[Gypo Logger]

Never much understood this either. Emptying out the ash bucket more often adds to the work involved...but I consider the ash to be a useful byproduct and use it to fertilize the garden and the lawn.

There's only two things I hate about ash removal;
1: the stove can't be going, so ya hafta wait for a warmer day.
2: The dust goes everywhere. A shop vac may be in order, but will it suck up spikes and tin cans? lol
John

 

[woodbooga]

Makes ya wonder why the coldest climates have the least BTU wood and vice versa.

LOL! It's like 60° in Virginia and they're up to their eyeballs in hickory and white oak. You poor folks are 50° below freezing and have popple and evergreens.

This to me is proof positive of the existence of God. And that furthermore he has a sense of humor.

 

[branchbuzzer]

Never much understood this either. Emptying out the ash bucket more often adds to the work involved...but I consider the ash to be a useful byproduct and use it to fertilize the garden and the lawn.

Somehow when I think about the work involved, emptying out the ash bucket doesn't seem near the top of the list in degree of difficulty, but that's just me - Mr. Fit

 

[branchbuzzer]

LOL! It's like 60° in Virginia and they're up to their eyeballs in hickory and white oak. You poor folks are 50° below freezing and have popple and evergreens.

This to me is proof positive of the existence of God. And that furthermore he has a sense of humor.

... and when the woodburners near the Artic Circle die, they come down here to Hardwood Heaven. When us southern sinners die, we go up there and get nothing but rotted pines.

 

[woodbooga]

There's only two things I hate about ash removal;
1: the stove can't be going, so ya hafta wait for a warmer day.
2: The dust goes everywhere. A shop vac may be in order, but will it suck up spikes and tin cans? lol
John

We heat and cook on a 100 year-old Crawford cookstove that's got shaker grates. If I'm down to coals, I can usuallygive the ash the shakedown and keep the bigger coals from falling below with little difficulty. Then it's just a matter of shoveling them from below into a bucket.

I had a small box stove at camp a long while back. No grates or ash pan - so I hear ya!

 

[Gypo Logger]

We heat and cook on a 100 year-old Crawford cookstove that's got shaker grates. If I'm down to coals, I can usuallygive the ash the shakedown and keep the bigger coals from falling below with little difficulty. Then it's just a matter of shoveling them from below into a bucket.

I had a small box stove at camp a long while back. No grates or ash pan - so I hear ya!

I was gonna mention that about popple and cook stoves. There's probably not much better wood than that or pine for a fast hot fire when cut into kindling.
John

 

[Gypo Logger]

... and when the woodburners near the Artic Circle die, they come down here to Hardwood Heaven. When us southern sinners die, we go up there and get nothing but rotted pines.

We better copyright that theory right here and right now, or David Atinborough
or David Suzuki will me stealing the theory about evolutionary global warming.
Maybe the dinosaurs died because they couldn't run fast enough from Alaska to Georgia. Lol
John

 

[laser]

The thing I don't like about yellow poplar is, even though it burns hot, it never leaves me a good bed of coals. All I get is ash...so it's not just that there's a lot of ash to clean up (not usually that big of a deal), it's that you have to start a fire almost from scratch.

I'll mix poplar in with oak and hickory, but I seldom burn with just poplar. I'll come back to a cold stove if I'm not careful.

But using a hatchet on a split, I can get some amazing kindling/tender. I think poplar is a wood that you must have, but it's a special use wood, not something you rely on...unless you have a *lot* of it.

 

[logbutcher]

I've been selling firewood for close to 20 years now and never sold any poplar. I've cut tons of poplar and given it to family or burned it myself. 2 years ago I had my daughter and suffered many health issues that prevented me from cutting enough fiirewood for my customers the following year. With my next kiddo weeks away I thought I would be pro-active and buy in some green wood to ensure that I would have enough wood for my customers next year. So I found a guy who would give me a fair price on green wood and I have bought over 50 cord from him. The wood has been very nice and clean and a nice mix of hardwoods, in fact the first 12 cord where mostly red oak. I just got another load of 4 cord and found it to be over 90% poplar and was very disappointed. I called they guy and he said poplar is hardwood. After a bit of reading I did find that it is in fact a soft hardwood. I think If I sold 4 one cord loads to 4 of my customers with 90%+ poplar I would loose all 4 customers. What are your thoughts on how to deal with this situation?

This is not the West. In our part of the states, Poplar/Cottonwood/Aspen/Popple is considered junk. Lower BTU than some "softwoods". Tell the seller to take it back; he should know better. Don't lose customers.

 

[CUCV]

This is not the West. In our part of the states, Poplar/Cottonwood/Aspen/Popple is considered junk. Lower BTU than some "softwoods". Tell the seller to take it back; he should know better. Don't lose customers.

I left the guy a message to call me... but no reply...

 

[BPS. LLC]

A few years ago, I had a few poplar logs mixed in with a load. I burned them myself, since the consenus of my customers that poplar was undesirable. When I started, I sold "mixed hardwood" and several customers asked whether or not there was poplar in the mix. They did not want it, so I never added it.

Almost every customer has given me some sort of horror story of their prior firewood buying experiences, and they are very picky and know most of the "tricks of the trade".