Poplar

['bert]

N of 60 what is your typical burn cycle time with a load of poplar? I am guessing that what I call poplar and what you have are the same or at least very similar. I can get 6-7 hours at night and still have plenty coals left to restart, but 12 hours would be a restart situation.

 

[Stephen in SoKY]

Well, I guess I've been put properly in my place.

 

[North of 60]

N of 60 what is your typical burn cycle time with a load of poplar? I am guessing that what I call poplar and what you have are the same or at least very similar. I can get 6-7 hours at night and still have plenty coals left to restart, but 12 hours would be a restart situation.

Sounds not to far off from me if the stove was at a low to medium setting for -15 to -20 C weather. 5f to -4F 8hrs would call it fair for productive heat to maintain a warm house.

 

[Slow1]

Stephen - I think this just proves the old saying "one man's trash is another's treasure" eh?

N of 60 - I have to imagine that you have a better insulated house than many of us southerners have.

Anyone who wants to comment - What exactly is "poplar" anyway? It seems that this name is given to more than one species of tree depending on what region even though there does seem to be an actual "poplar" tree. Is this a case of the name being overused and thus perhaps explaining some aspects of varied experiences with it?

 

[Stephen in SoKY]

I just hope nobody comes down here and tells our Yellow Poplar they think it has some fancy name. Next thing you know those Yellow Poplars will be getting all uppity & big headed, they'll probably refuse to be used in outhouse construction, insisting instead they're the material of fine furniture, which will of course upset the Walnut & Cherry to no end. Then the Yellow Poplar will get to thinking their weight bearing capacity is much higher than it really is and that will upset the Oaks something fierce. They might even think they're worthy of being used as pull and gate posts in a fence, and I can tell them from experience they really don't want to piss off the Locust trees. Nope, I think it's just far better that they remain the lowly little Yellow Poplar they've always been.

 

[LLigetfa]

Next thing you know those Yellow Poplars will be getting all uppity & big headed, they'll probably refuse to be used in outhouse construction, inisting instead they're the material of fine furniture, which will of course upset the Walnut & Cherry to no end.

You mean like this CL posting?

https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/28973/

 

[Stephen in SoKY]

Good grief......We sell whenever Poplar gets to 20 cents & think we've really hit the jackpot.

 

[Wood Duck]

Scanning around the internet I've found reports for Yellow Poplar (Tulip Tree, Liriodendron tulipifera) at about 18 million btu/cord, which makes it more than 25% higher BTUs than real poplar, also called aspen, popple, etc. (Populus tremuloides or several other species in the genus Populus) which has about 14.5 million BTU per cord. 18 million BTUs per cord would put Tulip Tree about even with Red Maple, Red Alder, Douglas Fir. Apparently it is a step below most of the hardwoods, but still quite far ahead of aspen. Tulip Tree grows really large in the southern appalacians, and tends to have very long, very straight trunks, which make the trees look like they'd be easy to split (no knots).

 

[caber]

Our "poplar" is tulip poplar. When it is dry it is light. very light. And it burns hot but very, very fast. I'll toss in 4 splits, let the stove get hot in about 15 minutes, turn it down and the cycle takes about 2-3 hours. I've never bothered to load it up to the gills to do an overnight burn with poplar. I have better stuff for that. Maybe if I had one of them new-fangled catalytic stoves.

 

[bsruther]

It's probably Tulip Tree (Kentucky State tree). If it is, I would consider it a good score. It seasons quickly and burns clean. It burns faster than most other hard woods. IMO about the same as Silver Maple, maybe a little better. It splits easily too. I have about a half cord of it for this winter.

 

['bert]

I am pretty sure what we have up here is Aspen. Might not be oak, but we have allot of it and it's all free (for me anyway). But it is true that (new) homes around here are insulated very well. Also it is the norm to have a natural gas furnace around here.