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Why is cottonwood ignored?

Started by jrokusek, May 02, 2007, 12:48:30 AM

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farmfromkansas

There are some cottonwood buildings here in my neighborhood that are well over 100 years old.  A big old barn a few miles south they say is all cottonwood, except for sill plates they say are walnut.  Asked a member of the family when they moved here, he said 1860's, so could be 150 years old.  Most of the barns were the first building built, as they were necessary for stock and feed.
Most everything I enjoy doing turns out to be work

alan gage

I'm building a 10x12 cabin with 6' covered deck on my land right now, mostly from cottonwood. It's been air dried and I've had no trouble hand nailing it. It does cut noticeably harder with a circular saw than typical framing lumber.

All the boards were sawn extra wide and went back on the sawmill before use to straighten both edges. I'm very happy to have it with the prices of lumber right now. Really no other softwood options around here for framing lumber.

Try to find straight logs with centered piths. I've found these stay pretty straight when sawing and drying. The stressed trees growing on the edges provided a lot of unusable lumber.

Alan
Timberking B-16, a few chainsaws from small to large, and a Bobcat 873 Skidloader.

WDH

Balsam poplar and cottonwood are in the same genus but are totally different species. 
Woodmizer LT40HDD35, John Deere 2155, Kubota M5-111, Kubota L2501, Nyle L53 Dehumidification Kiln, and a passion for all things with leafs, twigs, and bark.  hamsleyhardwood.com

barbender

I was going to say that Danny, but I decided to let it go😊 I've seen patches of balsam poplar (it is known as balm of Gilead, balmy and bam locally) that looked like perfect 16-20" sawtimber. No one saws it, but the form sure was nice. It loaded on a truck fast😊 That all went to Sappi for paper at the time. That is the market locally, paper and OSB. I'm told in some areas the buds are harvested for use in perfumes.
Too many irons in the fire

Nikolaysi

There are many species of trees that are under appreciated in certain regions for whatever historical reasons. Take Eastern larch for example, also goes by tamarack and a few other names. It has better rot resistance than cedar and about as good as pressure treated, minus the poisonous chemicals and tougher. The piles that the city of Venice was built on a thousand years ago or so are still standing today partially submerged in water. A perfect building material for decks and other outdoor projects, it is highly prized in Europe, but nobody wants to hear about it here. Go figure. 

barbender

I have never seen tamarack perform better than cedar or pressure treated in ground contact situations. If it is buried, as in corduroy roads, it lasts near forever. I'm sure the piles under Venice are a similar situation. But uses like posts, where you have oxygen, moisture, and the proper temperature at ground level, it fails fairly quickly. 
Too many irons in the fire

doc henderson

we have taken 9 out of our yard.  I have about 8 to mill from others, and the largest log is over 4 feet in diameter.  this is the ac unit behind my shop.  was running longer than usual, so this is what I found from this summer alone.  



 

this is why people do not like the tree.  from a plane you will see all the streams and rivers lined with these trees.  the cotton messes with ac and pools.  they grow fast so light weight, only live about a hundred years, and if a wind storm breaks off a branch, it may be 100 feet long, and 3 feet at the base in diameter.  might scratch you car, or smash the roof of your house.  I use it to make pallets.  the wood is actually pretty.
Timber king 2000, 277c track loader, PJ 32 foot gooseneck, 1976 F700 state dump truck, JD 850 tractor.  2007 Chevy 3500HD dually, home built log splitter 18 horse 28 gpm with 5 inch cylinder and 32 inch split range with conveyor powered by a 12 volt tarp motor

alan gage

One of my favorite times of year is when the cottonwoods go to seed and it looks like snowfall on those beautiful blue sky June days. It's one of my favorite trees. Love listening to the leaves rustle in the lightest of breezes.

I transplanted half a dozen saplings this spring that were growing where they shouldn't be. If I live and they live I should get to see some decent sized trees by the time I go.

There are some giants around town that dwarf the houses they grow up around. Large circumference and very tall. Sure wouldn't want one to fall on my house or have to pay to have it taken down but I like looking at them. I'll be long gone by the time mine get to that stage.

Alan
Timberking B-16, a few chainsaws from small to large, and a Bobcat 873 Skidloader.

Walnut Beast

So named for its cotton-like strands that accompany the tree's seeds in the spring. Eastern Cottonwood is the state tree of Kansas and Nebraska, and is sometimes called the pioneer of the prairie; pioneers on the Oregon Trail would look for such trees, as their shade and firewood was a welcome respite, and their presence usually meant that water was nearby.

SwampDonkey

Even black cottonwood is not the same species as 'cottonwood' in this thread. Black cottonwood isn't all that different from balsam poplar (balm-of-gilead), only it grows a lot bigger. On the Skeena or Fraser river in BC they are huge along the river. The largest native poplar, up to 165 ft tall and 12 feet in diameter.
"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)))

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