The BTU gods offered up a nice size bigtooth aspen, (popple, poplar). Dropped on one of my wheeler paths so not just easy pickins but i had to cut it up and move it anyway. So threw some on the wagon and took it right to the log yard and split it. Splits easy, kinda sweet smelling maybe. Keeping it separate for campfire wood. Pics in a bit.
yes There are about ten or so kinds of pine that rank higher on the btu charts...even willow is higher. Ranks same as basswood, 13.7mbtu and 2210# per cord. Should dry in 6 months.
The bigtooth Aspen I burned this past winter was better than burning pine IMO. It burned very hot and very clean. I won’t pass on it again so long as it’s solid. It does seem to to get punky relatively fast if left on the ground.
Yes, but willow doesn't split easily like poplar, it also does not season like poplar in a summer. You'll like it.
Have turned down aspen too....but am beginning to collect some. Perhaps better than pine...not in btu's, but seasoning and lack of resin.... Sca
Yep. I burn a lot of Popple. It works great to heat the house up fast. I get a lot of it here that grows so big and then just tips over, usually about only the top half of the tree is good after they get that big, the rest is punk. I surely wouldn't pass it up if you have the room for it.
Aspen burns fine, similar in BTUs as some pines. I'm surprised you said it smelled sweet, I always find it quite stinky when split, until dried. Keep it off the ground, otherwise it rots quick.
I'm not a fan of the smell of freshly cut/ split Aspen/ poplar either. But both my wife and I love the smell of elm. Everyone's nose is different.
Over the years I've burned a goodly amount of aspen because years ago I did not always have my own trees to cut. Neighbors never minded if I took popple, especially if it was about to fall over. It really is not bad to burn in daytime if someone is able to keep the fire going but that is not so good at night.
We have a lot of it on our land. I cut, spit, stack and cover about a cord each spring before it comes out of dormancy, and it is ready to burn during grouse and deer camps by fall. It is great for shoulder seasons, and doesn't heat the guys out of the loft at night if we make a fire in the morning and one fire at night to keep the cabin comfortable. At home we burn some during the day if we are home to tend the stove. It heat the house just fine in the dead of winter if you keep a nice fire going.
Poplar - Quaking Aspen was about all the pioneers had for firewood here on the Southern Prairies. I cut enough with an axe when I was a teenager although oil and coal were our main sources of heat by the time I came along
I have some friends in Meadow Lake that own a guide service. I’ve gone out a few times, well because it was free, and other than the random white birch or fir and spruce poplar is it.
