Had an “Older” Timer tell me some years back that you can burn Poplar wood for heat. Well, I was always raised that you don’t burn it for heat. Am I mistaken here? I have 4 good sized Poplar trees that I’ll be dropping once the snow clears. Can I burn it for heat in the house next season or should I just drag it over to the burn pit? Probably about 3/4” Cord worth of wood once I’m done topping, limbing, and get to bucking.
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Poplar, Can ya Burn It for Heat?
- Thread starter RLinNH
- Start date
Tulip poplar. Sure.
Northern hybrid poplar. I don’t see why not though the tulip will burn and last longer.
Did he say why you could not?
Northern hybrid poplar. I don’t see why not though the tulip will burn and last longer.
Did he say why you could not?
Osage Orange, or Hedge is the only one i've heard of not being recommended for burning unless your stove is rated for it, but definately not for a fireplace because it tends to spark.
I used to heat my shop with wood (pellet stove currently) and I would burn any wood I could in it. If I bought wood I would get Oak, or locust. I've burned a lot of pine that I've cut myself off my property, and a whole lot of scrap wood from building projects around me. If it's free, and it burns, why not use it to heat with, even if the heat content is shit, it's free, so oh well.
Branden
I used to heat my shop with wood (pellet stove currently) and I would burn any wood I could in it. If I bought wood I would get Oak, or locust. I've burned a lot of pine that I've cut myself off my property, and a whole lot of scrap wood from building projects around me. If it's free, and it burns, why not use it to heat with, even if the heat content is shit, it's free, so oh well.
Branden
The only not treated with somethin or other wood that I know you shouldnt burn is sweetgum. Not because theres anything wrong, it just wont burn, even if you can split it, which is near impossible. We had a heavy duty splitter that got so stuck we had to cut the round off with a chainsaw. The stuff just wont dry and the grain is twisted like licorice.
Other than that, put it int the stove and let er rip.
Other than that, put it int the stove and let er rip.
I burn poplar, usually when it's not bitter cold out. It makes more ash than some other choices, but that's a plus to having a garden.
Make sure to keep it dry because it soaks up water like a sponge when it's on the ground.
Make sure to keep it dry because it soaks up water like a sponge when it's on the ground.
My Step Dad never said why one shouldn't burn Poplar. Only thing he ever said was that it smelt like Cat Pis. And I was raised not to question Dad.
Thanks to all for the replies. Looks like I'm burning Poplar next season!!!
All of the wood I burn is always off the ground and seasoned for at least 9 months. Oak, I like to season for at least 12 months. I have 10 acres here in NH and a tractor. Main source of heat in my Log Home is wood. I like to harvest my own as it's, well, free. Just a bit of brow sweat. Again, thanks for the replies!!!
Cottonwood is in the poplar family and it takes more energy to burn than it releases.
Man there used to be a guy named Firewoodguy on the interwebs . He had lists of btus per types of wood . He also listed types not to burn .
IIRC poplar had very low btu but was ok to burn . If it's questionable wood don't damp it down . Do a " full burn " to reduce creosote and soot .
Nothing more primally satisfying than a fire you started to warm your home . Kudos Sir .
IIRC poplar had very low btu but was ok to burn . If it's questionable wood don't damp it down . Do a " full burn " to reduce creosote and soot .
Nothing more primally satisfying than a fire you started to warm your home . Kudos Sir .
It’s ok just not the best. Season it and use it in the fall and spring. It burns a bit faster so puts out less heat. But for the times you want to take just the chill off it works great.
Cottonwood is everywhere around here, and no, it's no good for burning.....just pass on it.
If you think cottonwood burns well.....it's not cottonwood, it's something else.
Cedar is not a good idea to burn either, same with juniper.....teh stank is strong in them woods.
Osage Orange (or southern hedge) burns way too hot for most stoves, it puts out way more heat than any other wood out there....but it burns great, just be careful that it can melt your shit, seriously, it gets that hot.
Desert Ironwood burns great and puts out killer heat, but lots of people are allergic to the fumes and it can damn near kill an allergic person.
Try for Oak, Ash, Hickory, Locust if you can.
Yep, stayed warm by only wood many a snowed in time, and place.
If you think cottonwood burns well.....it's not cottonwood, it's something else.
Cedar is not a good idea to burn either, same with juniper.....teh stank is strong in them woods.
Osage Orange (or southern hedge) burns way too hot for most stoves, it puts out way more heat than any other wood out there....but it burns great, just be careful that it can melt your shit, seriously, it gets that hot.
Desert Ironwood burns great and puts out killer heat, but lots of people are allergic to the fumes and it can damn near kill an allergic person.
Try for Oak, Ash, Hickory, Locust if you can.
Yep, stayed warm by only wood many a snowed in time, and place.
I used to do tree work , had my own side business and yard . Would save all the fruit trees ; apple , pear and cherry for Christmas .
I would give ribbon wrapped bundles , along with other presents to close friends . It was for their Christmas morning fires. Fruit wood ( high sugar wood ) has a musky warm scent . Very warm , homey , comforting .
I would give ribbon wrapped bundles , along with other presents to close friends . It was for their Christmas morning fires. Fruit wood ( high sugar wood ) has a musky warm scent . Very warm , homey , comforting .
Ok for day time use but I wouldn't bed the fire at night with it.
My grandmother's house was heated with wood. All the family would meet up there for Christmas. My uncle who lived with her would get a good bed if coals and pack it with green poplar. It's a wonder the stove never melted. He'd laugh all year about roasting everyone.
My grandmother's house was heated with wood. All the family would meet up there for Christmas. My uncle who lived with her would get a good bed if coals and pack it with green poplar. It's a wonder the stove never melted. He'd laugh all year about roasting everyone.
I used to cut timber for a living. Cut some 400 year old Red Oaks. Magnificent trees we'll not see the likes of again. Smells like money or a warm morning to me.
Good firepit wood if you don't mind the smell, not a good heating wood though, low BTUs and burns fast. Free is the best price if you don't mind the work to process and season it, as well as the room it would take up, but I'd buy oak to heat with long before I used free on property poplar.
How did I miss this?
This statement....awe fuck my head hurts....its just......holy shit I'm speechless.
This.
Its a nice "spring" wood.
I'll edit to add, instead of posting again.
The BEST use for poplar, is cut it in late fall or late winter before the sap rises. Let it sit for a few weeks, and inoculate the whole shebang with oyster mushroom spawn.
6 months later enjoy piles of delicious mushrooms. Don't forget to inoculate the stump. Best way to get rid of a poplar stump.
All you guys talking about oak generically better consider things like white oak and piss oak. These suck for burning inside because they are smoky and smell awful. Red oak is another thing.
And I happen to love poplar for making things with. It takes a great stain and looks like walnut when stained. Easy to cut, sand and finish. Not near as strong as actual hardwoods though. Watch out if you’re buying it for woodworking though as large retail box stores consider anything “white wood” to be poplar. Know the differences.
And I happen to love poplar for making things with. It takes a great stain and looks like walnut when stained. Easy to cut, sand and finish. Not near as strong as actual hardwoods though. Watch out if you’re buying it for woodworking though as large retail box stores consider anything “white wood” to be poplar. Know the differences.
I use poplar for kindling all the time. Leftovers from paint grade cabinet jobs.
Out here in Arizona the wood choices are shit. Pine and Ash are about all you can find unless one of our many senile elderly citizens runs their car into an oak tree on private property.
Out here in Arizona the wood choices are shit. Pine and Ash are about all you can find unless one of our many senile elderly citizens runs their car into an oak tree on private property.
Where does the heat go when it's on fire? Just curious.
(Sigh)
I spent 25 years of my career burning shit for a living. When I went home, I burned wood to stay warm 7 months out of the year.
In the twilight of my career, I taught other operators from accross the state, how to properly and efficiently burn shit.
If you know what you are doing, and understand thermal conversion, you can burn almost anything in a wood heater.
I could write a novella in this thread about how wrong some of you are. All it would accomplish is arguments and French models telling me how much fucking firewood they've cut and or burned.
Most people are clueless about what is actually happening in their wood heater.
People like to talk about BTU rating of wood. At the same time they tell you to stay away from yellow pine, or pine in general. Heart pine or high sap pine will burn like #2 fuel oil.
I could design a system that would burn anything you put in it, including dried horse shit. Unfortunately, the EPA doesn't want people burning wood.
If you have a catalytic system on your freeboard, you have to operate it properly.
You cannot burn low fires in them, you can't burn green wood, you can't burn much pine.
A proper wood burning reactor needs to be much larger than most folks would want to put in their house.
Creosote should be burned off in the freeboard. Problem is.....that ends up being your flue.
If its dry, burn it. The drier the better.
You don't "ignite" anything, until it is bone dry. Unless you live in Death Valley, your wood pile aint dry.
Combustion dont be like you think it be....
I spent 25 years of my career burning shit for a living. When I went home, I burned wood to stay warm 7 months out of the year.
In the twilight of my career, I taught other operators from accross the state, how to properly and efficiently burn shit.
If you know what you are doing, and understand thermal conversion, you can burn almost anything in a wood heater.
I could write a novella in this thread about how wrong some of you are. All it would accomplish is arguments and French models telling me how much fucking firewood they've cut and or burned.
Most people are clueless about what is actually happening in their wood heater.
People like to talk about BTU rating of wood. At the same time they tell you to stay away from yellow pine, or pine in general. Heart pine or high sap pine will burn like #2 fuel oil.
I could design a system that would burn anything you put in it, including dried horse shit. Unfortunately, the EPA doesn't want people burning wood.
If you have a catalytic system on your freeboard, you have to operate it properly.
You cannot burn low fires in them, you can't burn green wood, you can't burn much pine.
A proper wood burning reactor needs to be much larger than most folks would want to put in their house.
Creosote should be burned off in the freeboard. Problem is.....that ends up being your flue.
If its dry, burn it. The drier the better.
You don't "ignite" anything, until it is bone dry. Unless you live in Death Valley, your wood pile aint dry.
Combustion dont be like you think it be....
Don’t burn that! Everyone loves those trees.
You could say they are poplar…
You could say they are poplar…
You might not burn it, but I wood.
I had an outdoor boiler for a few years and I honestly liked burning dead standing cottonwood on the 30-50 degree days better than dense wood. The boiler wouldn't kick on often enough to keep the heavy stuff burning and would go out or use up a lot of wood smoldering trying to get going again. The cottonwood would reignite faster and would burn down to a fine powder ash and I never had to refill it anymore than I would with heavy wood. Now on cold days the dense wood would do better as the boiler ran more often and it stayed stoked up so it relit easily. I never cut any live trees so can't comment on drying times or anything like that.
There's a ton of wood that the snobs won't burn because "it's not as good as...."
Screw them. If you keep it dry (off the ground and out of the rain and snow) it'll burn. How long it needs to dry may vary, how many BTUs per log will vary, but it'll burn.
If you're paying for firewood you want the most energy dense clean burning wood around.
If you're harvesting, processing, and burning? Free is free! So long as you spend less $ on fuel processing it yourself than buying another species there's nothing wrong with it. Your time is your time.
You may want to sweep your chimney an extra time, keep the damper open farther, etc. There will be adjustments between woods, even season to season.
Screw them. If you keep it dry (off the ground and out of the rain and snow) it'll burn. How long it needs to dry may vary, how many BTUs per log will vary, but it'll burn.
If you're paying for firewood you want the most energy dense clean burning wood around.
If you're harvesting, processing, and burning? Free is free! So long as you spend less $ on fuel processing it yourself than buying another species there's nothing wrong with it. Your time is your time.
You may want to sweep your chimney an extra time, keep the damper open farther, etc. There will be adjustments between woods, even season to season.
That's not how burning works.
It burns dirty and you can't close it off to taper the burn or you'll get nasty heavy buildup trying to burn it cool.
Let it go full blast, and keep your chimney clean, and it's fine for free wood. It's not a species you can get a decent burn on while dampening it down for a low long heat.
White oak does not smell “awful”
Red oak is a little stinky but not while burning.
Where I am we have white, red and chestnut oak and some hickory, maple and ash. I am an equal opportunity combustor….
Western cottonwood is in the fireplace right now.. If it’s dry it burns very well and hot coals but doesn’t last long. Splitting it on the other hand is a chore on itself. Most miserable rounds.. wedge and sledge are sufficing for right now. However a splitter is getting built this summer.
Is it the best wood no. Was it free? Yes. Right now in northern Nevada you can’t to picky on what you burn.
Is it the best wood no. Was it free? Yes. Right now in northern Nevada you can’t to picky on what you burn.
Fair enough. I should amend that to say southern white oak then. Very different variety(ies) than northern white oak. The term white oak is (locally and incorrectly) used for any number of oak varieties that have white-ish wood. There are roughly 400 varieties of oak.White oak does not smell “awful”
Red oak is a little stinky but not while burning.
Where I am we have white, red and chestnut oak and some hickory, maple and ash. I am an equal opportunity combustor….
True white oak, Quercus alba, like in most northern and eastern states is different than what we see down here.
I must say that while living in Michigan for a few years, my favorite local wood to burn but hated to split, was elm. It burned really nice, if somewhat hot, but was a royal bitch to split.
What we have here mainly is:
White
Red
Chestnut Oak (not Chestnut tree)
Chestnut oak is a great burning wood, not really useful for furniture or flooring. It is a white oak family tree. Not as well known as many varieties. We have more of that here in Surry Co than any other oak. It has a propensity to be hollow at the base so you have to be careful if felling one.
Where I’m from in central NC we have a lot of Water Oak and Willow Oak plus Pin Oak.
Water Oak
Willow oak
Pin oak
White
Red
Chestnut Oak (not Chestnut tree)
Chestnut oak is a great burning wood, not really useful for furniture or flooring. It is a white oak family tree. Not as well known as many varieties. We have more of that here in Surry Co than any other oak. It has a propensity to be hollow at the base so you have to be careful if felling one.
Where I’m from in central NC we have a lot of Water Oak and Willow Oak plus Pin Oak.
Water Oak
Willow oak
Pin oak
When I was 17, my dad cut up a very large dead elm and hauled it home for a good chunk of our winter fire wood. Dad was about 60 at the time and we didn’t have a hydraulic wood splitter so I leaned into the big pile with a few different splitting mauls. I soon gave up on that and went to a maul and steel wedges. That was the stringiest bunch of elm I ever encountered. I was not going to let that pile win, but it was a pain in the a$$. The next year, dad built a splitter. I avoid elm to this day but it sure kept us warm that year.
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