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Balsam poplar

Started by maineshops, August 22, 2022, 05:04:11 PM

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maineshops

I'm cutting balsam poplar I cut one that is rotten on the inside. It also had mushroom like growths on the bark. Are these growths a good indication that the tree is punky . It takes me too much effort to work on junk logs. Thanks Dan
Phil:4, 13

240b

Conks on poplar generally mean its junk. still goes for pulp.

Ron Scott

Yes, the mushrooms growing on the outside bark of the poplar tree species is a good sign that the tree has "decaying white rot fungus" inside and will produce little or no quality wood.
~Ron

maineshops

Thanks much. That information will save me time and energy. Dan
Phil:4, 13

SwampDonkey

Some mills will take the logs with conk if they are solid. Never seen much conk in balsam poplar, usually trembling aspen gets it quite a bit around here.
"No amount of belief makes something a fact." James Randi

1 Thessalonians 5:21

2020 Polaris Ranger 570 to forward firewood, Husqvarna 555 XT Pro, Stihl FS560 clearing saw and continuously thinning my ground, on the side. Grow them trees. (((o)))

maineshops

Which  comes first the rot  or the  conk
Phil:4, 13

Andries

Maine, that's kinda like asking "which came first, the chicken or the egg?"
Over here, if it's got the conk - it's got the rot. If you want a mill log, fell the younger, smaller ones.
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fluidpowerpro

Forgive me....
Are Balsam Poplar, Poplar and Balsam 3 different trees or are they the same?
Change is hard....
Especially when a jar full of it falls off the top shelf and hits your head!

barbender

Oh gosh, FPP...well the simple answer is three. First Balsam poplar, aka black poplar or Balm of Gilead. Second is sometimes called Poplar, Quaking Aspen. I've also heard it called White Poplar.  Third is Balsam Fir, and evergreen conifer. There is much confusion over "poplar" as many members in the south and east have Yellow Poplar, aka Tulip Poplar. When us northern types are talking about poplar we mean aspen, southern guys mean something else.
Too many irons in the fire

WDH

The conks are the fungal fruiting bodies.
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Clark

Quote from: maineshops on August 23, 2022, 06:18:31 PMWhich  comes first the rot  or the  conk

Technically the fungal infection on the inside of the tree is first. There can be very little indication on the outside but the inside can be very punky.

Also, it's balsam poplar so the wood quality is not up there. In fact, I'm quite certain a healthy balsam poplar around here has wood only slightly firmer than conked out balsam poplar.

Clark
SAF Certified Forester

fluidpowerpro

Change is hard....
Especially when a jar full of it falls off the top shelf and hits your head!

Southside

We always thought of them as a 25 year tree, fills a void that mother nature will fill in about 25 years with something else.  Seems they never really did well past that point.  
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maineshops

I have mixed trees on my place. Aspen, poplar, fir. Maple ash, birch as well as others. I asked our forester what kind of papal do we have here. He said mostly balsam poplar. I cut 2 last year and they were both solid. They had a smoother bark than the one I just cut so I'm guessing they were just younger trees
I just cut 300bf of balsam fir that I'm going to use as flooring in a store room off Mas sewing room .I plan to use the papal for the walls and ceiling. Spent 4 hours yesterday fiddling around with one log, breaking blades etc and got 1 questionable board out of the punky butt log.  Don't know what I'm doing but still having a lot of fun. Dan
Phil:4, 13

barbender

I've seen patches of balsam poplar we cut that produced a lot of 12"-14" solid timber. It is really heavy, like oak, because it has so much water in it. I've never sawn it, it all goes straight to the pulp mill.
Too many irons in the fire

barbender

FPP, my "Oh gosh" statement was in reference to how much confusion there is whenever "poplar" comes up, not the fact that you asked👍😊
Too many irons in the fire

SwampDonkey

I don't see many large balsam poplar, but the ones I have seen are in cedar stands. The big ones get orange-brown bark. Most of the ones I see are no older than 30 years, but that is because they are the new growth coming. Around here cedar ground comes back to balsam poplar first after a clear cut and then you see the cedar taking over the understory. I see lots of ground do that around here because there is a lot of white cedar and a lot of it is clear cut.

Not many mills want balsam poplar, but I do think Huber in Easton, Maine buys it.
"No amount of belief makes something a fact." James Randi

1 Thessalonians 5:21

2020 Polaris Ranger 570 to forward firewood, Husqvarna 555 XT Pro, Stihl FS560 clearing saw and continuously thinning my ground, on the side. Grow them trees. (((o)))

Stephen1

Well now I'm really confused.... Balsam poplar? I need pictures because I am a simple man. 
I am in Ontario and I now know that what I called poplar is really cottonwood, aspen or popple....I am in the process of sawing some really big 'hybred' popple- poplar cottonwood. I have carpenters that buy it from me as cabinet structure wood once its kiln dried. 
someday I am going to know what I have.........maybe
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maineshops

I consider the last few days a valuable learning experience. I cut my logs 8 ft for ease in handling all through the processes. I got 5 - 8 ft  logs out of the tree. I tried to mill the second one up and it was still punky so I decided to block it all up for firewood. I started to split the third log up and it was splayed and not punky. That one would have made some nice splayed boards which ma likes.  I will mill the 5th log up but I'll only get some 1x4 out of it.
   As I am writhing  this I am reminded  that there are a lot of people that pay a lot of money to get this quality of education. 
Thanks to all . Dan
Phil:4, 13

barbender

Stephen, Balsam Poplar, the Cottonwoods, and Aspen are all in the same family. The Yellow Poplar that grows farther east and south is a seperate family. 

Balsam Poplar can look similar to aspen in form, actually it looks like a cross between aspen and cottonwood at times. It has grey bark that is heavily furrowed, the sapwood is a yellowish green and the heart is greenish brown. But it varies a lot depending where it grows, I've been on many sites where aspen and Balsam Poplar (balmy, locally😊) grow side by side. And in some of those sites they can be nearly impossible to distinguish, at least from the cab of the forwarder. When in doubt, it all got thrown into the pile for the mill that allowed aspen and balmy to be mixed together.
Too many irons in the fire

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