I wouldn't know about out east, except over the years I've seen pictures here calling trees out east Aspen which I've only known Quaking Aspen in the Rockies. I also heard there was an issue with altitude for Quaking, not even sure anything is high enough out east.
Our poplar here is yellow poplar, aka tulip poplar....Liriodendron tulipifera. Occasionally will see what we call white poplar, which may be what yall are talking about, but it's a planted thing and I think may be considered invasive.
You’re right. Our quaking Aspen here does very poorly at less than about 8,000 feet. People always try to plant them in their yards in Denver. They live for a few years and croak. Some of the higher elevation Aspens are known to exceed 200 years old.
If you look up Tulip Poplar, it's wild how similar the bark looks to Ash. Cash Larue, does the bark change much color once it's dried correctly? I'm about two months into some splits drying.
Nope. The bark doesn’t really change color at all. I’ve got some Aspen that’s 3-4 years old in my stacks. The bark looks the same as when I first cut it.
There's quaking Aspen and bigtooth Aspen here in the Midwest. The quaking Aspen here is the same species as out west in the Rockies.
While it is not what I would usually go after and not a high BTU wood. I am really liking it for shoulder season and its complete ease of getting a fire started. It was in my way of getting work done anyway and I decided not to waste it.
Here in the East we have Tulip which is called Poplar but I guess it’s really not. Only kind I know tho. I had nothing but Tulip one year. Even when it got cold it did fine, more than fine. Thanks to its fast burning and no coaling stage it created heat like crazy. Just had to be there to refill the stove. Kept the stove at peak temps without that long coaling stage. I don’t knock any wood anymore. Still like the heavy hitters but push come to shove poplar will work if someone’s there to feed the stove. damm tree broke my splitter, axearoon and back tho. Started noodling soon after that pic
We live at about 2100 ft elevation, in NE Washington. We have Quaking Aspens in the "wetland" portion of our property. They burn, and I won't turn my nose up at them. Well actually, I do (turn my nose up) a little, as they really stink when split. When dry, the smell is pretty neutral. Nothing wrong with them for firewood.
A big tooth aspen came down a couple years ago. Had to cut it off the atv path, so i css'd it. Made good camping wood. I got 5 cords of tulip poplar out of the log yard after the neighbor had his place logged. I burned about a cord per year in shoulder season and for midday fires when it was really cold. Both work good. I dont go looking for them, but when its easy to get, I'll take it.
I bet folks out west would be thrilled to have a good supply of Tulip Poplar if mostly what they can get is Pine. I started another fire this morning with Aspen and I really like how easy it starts. Nothing like trying to start Hickory in a cold furnace.
One of the first trees I cut down, split, and stacked was aspen. I could not believe how light it was, even after 6 months of drying. A piece that weighed 30lbs felt like 5 after it had dried.
It does get really light and drys so quickly. Almost unbelievable. I just chucked a couple pieces in the furnace on this spring day.
A coworker texted me tonight asking if I wanted any of this bigtooth aspen he took down in his backyard a couple weeks ago. Considering it’s already bucked to length and he’s going to deliver it to me, how dare I turn my nose up at him?
Probably in a couple weeks. He’s out on paternity leave so I won’t dare pester him. I told him I’d take the rounds in the picture he sent me. He’s got a lot more log lengths but they’re down the side of a steep hill where they’ll probably rot. It’s one of those deals where the juice isn’t worth the squeeze, either for him or myself.
Heck yeah and looks like minimal punk for aspen that size. I'd take aspen over the silver maple I've been burning this winter for SS wood any day!
