Poplar?

[Engineer]

I call it poplar, you might call it popple or aspen or even cottonwood (but cottonwood's a bit different).  Anyway, I was on a subdivision site that has been logged and partially cleared.  The logger pushed up half a dozen decent popple trees that are roughly 12-16" dbh into a slash pile.  I can get maybe 10, eight foot logs out of the pile if I work at it (it's a mess). 

I just wanna know if it's worthwhile.  I'm gonna be there anyway to pick up a trailerload of black birch, and I can make a second trip to get the popple.  I'd pick up clear pine in a heartbeat, and this stuffs gotta be better than pine for trim and casework.

[beenthere]

Do you know what it is? or is that what we are supposed to figure out?    8)   

[redpowerd]

the most abundant tree in the U.S.

makes good floor joists and you can only nail it wet.
cuts nice.

[Gary_C]

Cut one up and see if the center is solid or is it soft and punky. If the ends look good, go ahead and save it, at least down to 8-10 in dia anyway.

Aspen is not a particularly strong wood, but is used for many things such as stakes, interior siding and trim, crates, pallet boards, etc. Most of the Aspen around is used for paper making. I have sold some of the high quality solid center logs for making plywood veneers.

I just read where a sawmill responding to a survey question asking if they cut pallet boards and they said "not on purpose."  If pallet boards are the only use for the wood, then maybe you should let them bury it.

Gary

[mur]

I process aspen into T&G wall panel primarily.  Selects can make nice moldings and trim.  The wood has to be dried properly plus the molder/planer knives have to be really sharp.  Properly processed, it is an attractive wood.  And the market for the finished wood is usually local - at least in my case. 

[OneWithWood]

There is a big difference between poplar, aka tulip poplar, yellow poplar (Liriodendron) and the aspens and cottonwood.  Poplar is in the magnolia family and the others (Populus) are in the willow family.  The genus name I think causes the confusion.
Poplar is a very good often clear wood that is in demand for trim and furniture interior.  I am siding my barn and kiln with poplar.  I would definately pick it up if it is poplar.
Big tooth aspen is a good construction lumber - I framed my barn and kiln with it.  The only commercial market I know of for aspen is dimension lumber.  I believe this is what Jeff cut mostly at Bilby's.
Cottonwood probably is not worth hauling away. IMHO.

[Ron Wenrich]

I do believe that VT is out of the range of tulip poplar. 

[bitternut]

Whats a yooper? Somebody that can't spell?

[Engineer]

The area has several very large tulip poplar trees, but they aren't common by any means. 

This stuff is yellow poplar.  Grayish yellow smooth bark up top, running to rough grey at the base.  Small aspen-shaped leaves.  It is not cottonwood.

I'll probably take it.  Worst case, I can cut it to 3/4, dry and plane and use it for drawer sides. 

[OneWithWood]

Yellow poplar has large blocky leaves and the bark shows white in the fissures.  What you are describing sounds like aspen.  Definately will make decent 2x material. 

[Jeff]

I would put aspen against white pine or red pine for strength any day. At least the aspen that grows in this region. Is far more resiliant then pine. Where pine will break, aspen will bend but not break.

[Ron Wenrich]

Yellow poplar has a green heart.  It also makes a decent furniture wood and takes a stain really well.  It is often hard to tell apart from walnut or cherry, if the stain is done right. 

I just sawed about 30 Mbf of the stuff.  The uppers are going for moldings, the middle grade is going for caskets, and some 1 and 2 Com goes for jewelry boxes.  We also sell some veneer, depending on how much sapwood there is.

Drawer sides is a good choice.  It is used in middle grade furniture for drawer sides.

[Fraxinus]

There is a great market for popple (Popupus tremuloides or Populus grandidentata) for just the kind of use you want to put it to:  molding and trim.  I ran into an old guy a couple of years ago who cuts it and saws it with his little band mill on his own land.  He gets the lumber partially air dried in his old barn and sells it.  He can't keep up with the demand.  He has people clamoring for it.
It has been my experience that the latter of the two species mentioned is mych more likely to grow straight and tall and big, so it makes the better lumber.  Not sure if one could tell the wood apart with the naked eye.
One thing I do know is that popple (most common local name for either species) is one of our worst enemies as far as power line damage.  If we have one in the edge of the right of way and it's not leaning away from the wires, our tree crews are instructed to take it down.

[sawguy21]

Here, aspen, commonly referred to as poplar, is only used for paper and MDF. Otherwise it is viewed as a Dang weed. Last year, a local was burning without a permit and ignited the pollen which blows around in large amounts. Took out three homes.

[Fraxinus]

I agree, it is a dang weed.  But if somebody can make money off it I think that's great.  Heck, my grandfather would probably be laughing his head off if he could come back today and see that people are actually paying money for rocks and water.  Whodda thunkit?
I'm looking out my window right now at some nice straight popples but I wish they weren't there.  Much rather have the nice maple, birch and beech. Oh, and of course I almost forgot:   ash! :D :D

[Gary_C]

I was just in a Lowe's store today and a S4S 1x6 poplar board, 10 ft long was priced over $21. That's over $4 per bd ft.  8)   

I have close to 20 mbf in Aspen logs right now waiting to be sawed.  I had better get at the sawing  because $80,000 sounds good to me. Now if I can just find those buyers.  :D 

Gary