Would you sell Poplar as Hardwood firewood?

[Swamp Yankee]

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".

Amen to that

It seems unless it's their first season burning, every new customer certainly has war stories of other suppliers to tell.

'course they're not interested in hearing about life on the other side of the fence, but that topic's been beaten to death in other threads.

Take Care

 

[banshee67]

It seems unless it's their first season burning, every new customer certainly has war stories of other suppliers to tell.

'course they're not interested in hearing about life on the other side of the fence, but that topic's been beaten to death in other threads.

yep it seems like every person ive ever sold wood to, the first time i meet them, they have a big horror story to tell me about the last guy who sold them wood..
.. yet, like you said, if we started rambling off about all the horrible customers we have had in the past, everytime we met a new customers, WE would be the crazy ones.. they want to tell everyone how to be a good "firewood vendor".. but i doubt they would want to hear how to be a good customer
.. that said. i refused to sell wood to a cop this year,who took 6 weeks to pay me last year.. he ignored multiple emails and voicemails after taking over a month to mail a check, lied about when the check was sent like i wouldnt read date on envelope etc etc. if i told every new customer that story theyd think i was a lunatic, yet they all tell me about how some yahoo sold them pine 2 years ago.. why do i care? i have a trailer full of oak locust cherry and ash...stop talking and let me unload:crazy1:

 

[woodbooga]

Here's a lead for the OP right in his hometown. Not clear from the post if the trees are standing or on the ground.

If you contact the poster, make sure that none of the hardwood trees are popple!

http://nh.craigslist.org/mat/2087968145.html

 

[Gypo Logger]

Poplar is much under rated as a building product too.
Looking back in history, poplar was used extensively by our fore fathers and the pioneers who settled this great continent.
Poplar has great insulating properties and easy to work with.
Although it rots rather fast, if kept dry it will last a very long time.
John

 

[DSS]

Saw this on a bulletin board this morning...guy selling wood..

Hardwood.......$175

White birch.....$165

Juniper...........$155

Softwood........$145

Poplar............$130

This is per cord, blocked. $20 extra split.

 

[burroak]

Poplar is much under rated as a building product too.
Looking back in history, poplar was used extensively by our fore fathers and the pioneers who settled this great continent.
Poplar has great insulating properties and easy to work with.
Although it rots rather fast, if kept dry it will last a very long time.
John

Alot of people say poplar rots extremely fast, but it doesn't if you keep it dry. Alot of the old buildings used poplar as siding, and many of the log cabins used poplar for the logs. There are a few historical cabins nearby me, and they are all made out of hand-hewn poplar logs. It wil last a long time if you keep it dry.

 

[makomakoman]

I have been noticing more and more sellers trying to put Poplar in their loads up here.

Poplar is good for pulpwood.

you got ####ed..sorry to hear that.

 

[CUCV]

Here's a lead for the OP right in his hometown. Not clear from the post if the trees are standing or on the ground.

If you contact the poster, make sure that none of the hardwood trees are popple!

http://nh.craigslist.org/mat/2087968145.html

I've seen that post up for a while, I suspect its trees over the house or powerlines. I can do it... but not for free. However, I should give them a call and check it out.

 

[Buckethead]

I live in western Mass. and we sell about 20 cord of "mixed hardwood" a year.
We get our wood from a buddy of ours that runs a tree service so the species depends on the job. Typically, we see a lot of Maple and Oak with some Elm, Ash and occasionally some Poplar and Black Birch.

We have included poplar in our deliveries but, it is always less than 5% of the load and we never deliver any wood that we wouldn't (and do) burn ourselves. Here in the northeast, we would never advertise "hardwood" and deliver just poplar. I'm pretty sure it's grounds for lynching in N.H.

 

[Taxmantoo]

Wow, it sure is gopher wood,

My dad always called poplar 'gopher' or maybe 'go-fer' wood.
Cottonwood, my mom called that Pampers wood. Heated better than gopher wood, but she didn't like to smell it in the house.

 

[Jon E]

It's equivalent to pine in my eyes, but I'd rather burn pine as pine smells better.

 

[logbutcher]

It's equivalent to pine in my eyes, but I'd rather burn pine as pine smells better.

Pine is better, near the same BTUs, season faster, weighs less when cut.
This is for northeastern Poplar; more northern stuff grows slower, denser, may have more BTUs than our junque Poplar in Maine.

BTW: Popple ( as it's called here) is used by some Amerindian craftsmen for carving. Soft when green and wet, it hardens after awhile. Search "totem poles" for example.

 

[CTYank]

How did he advertise the wood? If advertised and sold as "mixed hardwood", I think any hardwood is fair game, as "mixed hardwood" is a very broad definition.

Not necessarily fair game. In NY (see http://www.agmkt.state.ny.us/WM/WMwood.html) "Wood from conifers (pines), aspen, poplar, basswood, butternut, willow, and grey or paper birch may not be advertised as hardwood."

Who says gummint regulation is bad? (Maybe the crooks, con-men, robber-barons and other miscreants?)

 

[Wood Doctor]

He's right - poplar is a hardwood, same as cottonwood.

I have a ton of poplar I will be selling next year. However, it will be at a 20% price reduction compared to what I charge for regular hardwoods. Should be ok to sell it, just drop the price and make sure they know what they are getting before you deliver.

+1 but not quite. Poplar, cottonwood, and basswood are all hardwoods and not conifers, such as pine, fir, and cedar.

Many people enjoy burning "softer" or "lighter" hardwoods. They light fast, are easy to load, and they help burn the denser woods such as oak, locust, and mulberry. I offer them together in a mixed hardwood sale and do not discount them. Many of my customers request them because they are so easy to light and burn, especially in a fireplace. They also do not throw sparks.

One customer told me, "If I had to choose between a ton of oak or a ton of cottonwood, I'd take the cottonwood any day."

 

[Hillbilly3995]

I would say you are at least partly responsible because, technically, he is living up to his end of the bargain by selling you "mixed hardwoods". You need to ask specific questions about what kind of wood you'll be getting when it is described this way. If the seller is dodging those questions, that should be a small red flag for you as a buyer.

If it was described as mixed hardwoods, and you've gotten 12 cords of oak and 4 of poplar so far, that's better than an average mix of every type. He might just be giving you whatever comes his way in a random fashion depending on the job. Now, if everything else you get is poplar as well, then you'd have a bit more of a beef. I'd let the situation play out a bit more before demanding money back. Remember, the poplar isn't useless, it's just not as good.

We sell cottonwood/poplar here for firewood. Burns quick and hot, with very little ash. Works great for a starter for the harder to light woods.

Also put it on the sawmill for trailer decking. Very good and flexible.

Makes great siding for sheds and barns. Just waterproof it on the bottom or keep it above the ground/snow.

Boths posts spot on, couldn't said it better myself. Rep for you both in the AM.

 

[CUCV]

+1 but not quite. Poplar, cottonwood, and basswood are all hardwoods and not conifers, such as pine, fir, and cedar.

Many people enjoy burning "softer" or "lighter" hardwoods. They light fast, are easy to load, and they help burn the denser woods such as oak, locust, and mulberry. I offer them together in a mixed hardwood sale and do not discount them. Many of my customers request them because they are so easy to light and burn, especially in a fireplace. They also do not throw sparks.

One customer told me, "If I had to choose between a ton of oak or a ton of cottonwood, I'd take the cottonwood any day."

Just curious, would you sell over 50% poplar loads to all your customers and not expect complaints? Reviewing posts it looks like there are different opinions depending on region.

 

[Wood Doctor]

Good Post.

Just curious, would you sell over 50% poplar loads to all your customers and not expect complaints? Reviewing posts it looks like there are different opinions depending on region.

Only if sold for campfires in bundles or perhaps for fireplaces--not for wood stoves. When sold for wood stoves, people like the denser hardwoods. Then, I sell that by the truckload and include more dense hardwoods in the mixture. That's because most wood stove people use the wood for heating the building. Fireplace burners want lots of flames and wood that is easy to light.

Regardless, if ALL of the wood is really dense, such as oak and locust, people usually have trouble burning it and often ask that I bring more elm and cottonwood on the next delivery.