# Does poplar normally take forever to dry?



## muncybob (Oct 10, 2013)

I'm beginning to wonder if my small stack has already dried and now it's acting like a sponge!! I split & stacked this stuff about 8 months ago...stacked bark side up too! When getting ready to split my new load of cherry(which shows at 23-26%!!) I decided to check the poplar....still at 33%+ I was hoping to burn this in the sholder season but it seems it's destined for the outdoor firepit.


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## pen (Oct 10, 2013)

Is this stuff out in the open or under cover of some sort?

I know folks here who claim that poplar will rot before it ever dries in an open stack around here.

I've never brought any home though.


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## muncybob (Oct 10, 2013)

It's in the open, loosely stacked on a pallet.


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## maple1 (Oct 10, 2013)

I had a poplar tree blow over in my yard last August. It was just into September before I got it cut up & split. It was ready to burn two months later. That was optimum conditions - single row in the wide open on a windy hilltop - but I don't think anything else would have dried that fast. Didn't give a lot of heat relatively speaking, but better some than none.


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## Paulywalnut (Oct 10, 2013)

Never had any luck with poplar. I think Pen said it. It does deteriorate quickly.
Its heavy when its green though!


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## suprz (Oct 10, 2013)

I had 3 tall poplar trees taken down on my property, kept the wood, split it, stacked it in single rows and it as dry and light as a feather within 1 year.  BUT...  You have to keep it off the ground, or it will turn to mush in short order!  It burns hot and fast.


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## JOHN BOY (Oct 10, 2013)

suprz said:


> I had 3 tall poplar trees taken down on my property, kept the wood, split it, stacked it in single rows and it as dry and light as a feather within 1 year.  BUT...  You have to keep it off the ground, or it will turn to mush in short order!  It burns hot and fast.



I Agree.. , I have had a lot of experience with tulip poplar . C/S/S and use in 1 year .  It needs to be off the ground . I also remove all the bark from the splits after they have sat for a few weeks. 
The bark on poplar will hold tremendous amounts of moisture under it .   This can cause it to rot some. and keep the moisture levels high


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## BIGDADDY (Oct 11, 2013)

I know it stinks when burned. I don't like it. I didn't have any problem seasoning it though.


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## Applesister (Oct 11, 2013)

Thats weird. It might reabsorb water. cover it with tin roofing or garage. I was splitting wood with a guy friend last fall and he does tree work for people and he had this huge old pile of "stuff" we were cutting up and one of the stumps/large round was leafing out.(I think it was willow)
Another situation was at a guy's house who had a sawmill. He had logs cut that he uprighted again like a fence along his 'parking lot' and the tops had sprouted twigs that were leafing out as well.
It was messed up.


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## tahoostas (Oct 11, 2013)

Applesister said:


> Thats weird. It might reabsorb water. cover it with tin roofing or garage. I was splitting wood with a guy friend last fall and he does tree work for people and he had this huge old pile of "stuff" we were cutting up and one of the stumps/large round was leafing out.(I think it was willow)
> Another situation was at a guy's house who had a sawmill. He had logs cut that he uprighted again like a fence along his 'parking lot' and the tops had sprouted twigs that were leafing out as well.
> It was messed up.


Sounds like willow. I think u can just shove a twig in the ground and it will take.


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## Backwoods Savage (Oct 11, 2013)

muncybob said:


> I'm beginning to wonder if my small stack has already dried and now it's acting like a sponge!! I split & stacked this stuff about 8 months ago...stacked bark side up too! When getting ready to split my new load of cherry(which shows at 23-26%!!) I decided to check the poplar....still at 33%+ I was hoping to burn this in the sholder season but it seems it's destined for the outdoor firepit.



Bob, when talking about poplar, it is important to be more accurate. For example, if this is yellow or tulip poplar, it is a lot different than other poplars like aspen. Here, I can't answer much because I do not know what you have. 

Also, wood won't be a sponge, unless it is punky. If it is like that, we simply throw it on the brush pile but some folks will burn it.


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## BoilerMan (Oct 11, 2013)

Sav is correct (of course), I have some Quacking Aspen, and some White Poplar in the stacks, all wood I was either paid to cut, or was removed close to the house 'cause I hate the stuff.  The Aspen, which is very common here, has a smooth and waxy bark which can become furrowed when the tree is older.  I've been burning some of the Aspen I cut this spring, it dries quickly and does put out decent heat with mostly blue flame very little yellow for some reason.  Fast burning though, great shoulder season wood, but I wouldn't go out of my way for it, heavy when green, splits easily.

The Whit Poplar, stinks, is quite stringy when splitting and takes forever to dry. 

TS


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## Sprinter (Oct 12, 2013)

Backwoods Savage said:


> Also, wood won't be a sponge, unless it is punky


I'm trying to learn about wood here too.  Can poplar or maybe other species reabsorb easily and have to be re-seasoned? 

I know that a lot of my seasoned wood can absorb water through the ends from exposure to rain, but that seems to dry out quickly.  It seems that the water between cells from the growing process is much more difficult to dry than any water that may get into the fibers.


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## Backwoods Savage (Oct 12, 2013)

I have never known wood to absorb water through the ends unless it was submerged. I have never been concerned about rain hitting the sides or ends of the stacks. We stack in the spring and don't top cover until early winter.

Yes, after a rain those ends dry fast. That is because it is mostly surface moisture.


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## Seanm (Oct 12, 2013)

Backwoods Savage said:


> I have never known wood to absorb water through the ends unless it was submerged. I have never been concerned about rain hitting the sides or ends of the stacks. We stack in the spring and don't top cover until early winter.
> 
> Yes, after a rain those ends dry fast. That is because it is mostly surface moisture.


 
Last year I did top covered only and found that come late fall after weeks of rain the weather went strait to freeze up and I had frozen ends and even icicles. I think for some of the wood pile it was ok because once deep winter came we had cold dry air but I remember being frustrated for part of the year with ends that would sizzle in the stove. This year Im going to try dropping the tarps over the sides and see what happens. Fun trying different techniques. In Whistler we had lots of snow and rain and I used to cover the entire pile but that was pre epa burning. I guess everyones situation is going to be different depending on location.  I wish I had the room for a wood shed. Sorry getting off topic. Ive burned a bit of Aspen poplar, burns hot and fast. Not bad wood if you have the room for lower btu wood.


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## wh401 (Oct 14, 2013)

I cut down a poplar last October, split it within the next 2 weeks, and was burning some of the smaller splits, (about 3" diameter,) by late February early March. It was light as a feather, and burnt hot and quick. I just let it all sit in a pile after I split it and that's how it dried. I tend to use it mostly for kindling as it lights off like paper.


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## HDRock (Oct 14, 2013)

I cut n split some poplar in July, burned some today , it's good n dry 15%


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