Why does my tulip poplar stink?

[kelLOGg]

I have sawn TP before but the current set of logs a customer delivered has a smell ranging from wet leather to 3 day old fish. We have had very hot and humid weather and when I peal the bark back I find  the wood to be quite warm and that is where I smell the odor. The trees were dead when they were cut and are 18 to 24" dia. Anyone smelled such before?
Bob




 

[Ron Wenrich]

I've had TP have a sour smell when it gets hot and they've been sitting for about a week.  It's when they start to get the blue stain in the sapwood.  When the smell goes away, often the sap is stained. 

I have to wonder about what killed them, and how long they've been dead.  Is there anything between the bark and the wood?  I know standing dead trees often get shoestring fungus in the cambial layer.  That generally stinks when the bark sloughs off.  Thinking you might have something between the bark that's working.

[Brad_bb]

Does it smell like fermentation/alchohol?  I've had that smell lately with some Ash.  It gets moist under the bark and that cambium layer I think is fermenting.

[Downstream]

Funny you bring this up because I just slabbed out my first two poplar logs last week and both of them are giving off a smell that is similar to your description.  I have not noticed it on any other species.  I removed bark prior to sawing but it was already starting to come off on its own.  These had been on the ground prior to me finding them for no more than 2 weeks and seemed very solid and still high moisture content. When I cut them the internal colors were 3 or 4 different shades/colors, but have since changed to more std green/brownish.   No idea why they smell just seeing the same thing you have.

[Don P]

It's the smell of "hurry". We're going through a pile of poplar that smells the same in this heat. Nature's recyclers are at work. I was working for one couple and was in some black locust that was getting funky under the bark. She said "it smells like death!"  :D I'd have to allow it isn't a pleasant smell but to me those are the smells that say the cambium and very soon the wood is beginning to compost.

[kelLOGg]

The bark is difficult to peel but when I manage to get some off the wood seems intact with no degradation; I have seen ants in the bark, however. No wood alcohol smell but I just probably just probably haven't observed that stage in the decay process. Don't know when it died but one of the smaller logs is cracked in several places, presumably when it hit the ground - all others appear to be solid. Sorry others have to endure the smell too, but its good to have my logs aren't alone.
Bob

[POSTON WIDEHEAD]

Nothing like "Pickled Poplar".  :D

[rl]

you said it.... popular....always stink's till it dry's... I burn some fall and spring... never put inside unless it's dry....only good for getting chill off....use boards for stained or painted cabinets  works well

[4x4American]

I was cutting some "popple" (cottonwood/aspen hybrid) today that smelled exzachary rike won ton soup, I almost had to get chinese for dinner but it was too late a night bowl of cereal made do

[aksawyer]

Yes that smell is a common with poplar wood. Here in Alaska it is very common. We don't like to saw it indoors because of that problem.

[paul case]

SO poplar stinky dust in the pockets could make you unpopular?

PC

[Ron Wenrich]

However, what you call poplar in Alaska, we call aspen.  Poplar in our area is tulip poplar.  It is more common than aspen and is what is pictured. 

[plantman]

It's ironic to me that poplar is such a good wood for trim work and that it dries straight and doesn't crack (or so I'm told) because as a landscaper I view the tree as a very fast growing gigantic weed. I have to assume the smell has something to do with there being so much water in the wood trapped under a heavy bark. 

[Ron Wenrich]

Tulip poplar also produces a natural benzene.  We had a mechanic at the mill who put some poplar planed down some green poplar.  He found that his hands got really clean.  Also noted that saw blades and a lot of the metal was clean.  So, we started to do research on poplar and found a bit of a benzene connection from research that was over 100 yrs old.

He wanted some of the juice and we found a way of getting some at the chipper.  He started to get soap made with poplar sap added.  The lady making the soap also noted that her equipment was the cleanest it had been.  We've both retired, so I don't know if he's still in the soap business or not.  Some people can develop a rash from handling poplar.

[Don P]

That's neat. The sawdoc told me to scatter a few poplar logs in the pile while sawing stuff that builds up on the blade to keep it clean. Benzene is a strong carcinogen, I wonder if this carries over or if it's a safe cleaner in soap. It'd be worth a try if it is. I've found Michelle's homemade lye soap is superior to store soap at getting pitch off my hands to begin with.

[kelLOGg]

Tulip poplar also produces a natural benzene.

I didn't know that, so I Googled it and found the poplars uptake benzene and related compounds from soils. The EPA uses this property in the bio-remediation of contaminated soils. Interesting.
Bob

[YellowHammer]

Well there it is, I had no idea about the benzene.

[Chop Shop]

We call it "Pooplar" out here.