Maple And Poplar Firewood

by Dave
(Northern New England)

Great site -- First time reader

Like you, I'm fascinated with firewood. My local area has a mixture of hardwoods.

Maple is my best bet, second for me is exactly what you had mentioned, what's abundant....plenty of Poplar. Quick burning, but, if you keep your wood stove on a slow burn, the fire will last quite a while and you can keep your home pretty warm.

Your site is now bookmarked, and I'll continue to visit!

Dave S.

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Apr 21, 2018
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starstarstarstarstar 		Beech Firewood, Mt. Pleasant TN
by: Greg

Beech tends to pop less than other hardwoods which is great for open fireplaces and has a high BTU output.

My second choice is hickory since I use it for heating and smoking meat.
Jan 17, 2017
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starstarstarstarstar 		Priddis, Alberta Canada Firewood
by: Roy Staple

Colorado Spruce Is my first choice, poplar being the second choice.

Those are the species that are growing (and frequently falling down on thier own) on the property.

I would have listed shipping pallets, except only my fire pit is large enough to accommodate them. The stove needs small pieces, thats why the 3 foot chunks of poplar go on top of the pallet in the pit.
Jun 08, 2015
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starstarstarstarstar 		Northern Ontario Firewood
by: Gary Thompson

Up here in Northern Ontario we have a few good firewood types. Birch would be the best without a doubt, but poplar would naturally come next. I say this because I used poplar solely for 5 years to heat my home.

One of the real problems with poplar wood is it is very messy. In the spring when the spa is running, this is the time for someone to cut down the estimated number of trees if you have your own lot or home with an abundance of trees.

I used to cut maybe twenty trees. We trimmed the branches off then we took the chainsaw and cut a line all the way from the bottom to the top of the tree and we had tool to remove the bark from the free. We left the bark in one piece still surrounding the log, leaving it on the ground until the fall. At this time hauled the log to our splitting site, removed the bark an cut the tree into stove length.

When all that was done we all gathered together and with the use of a gas powered log splitter, several hours later we had all the wood we needed for the next year.

Over the course of the year the polar becomes quite dense. With no bark you have a great wood to burn in your home. Popular is used commercially to make couches or arm chairs. Why? When it becomes dry it becomes very hard and works well. Some poplar is difficult to pound nails into or use once it becomes dry or aged naturally.

Without the bark you will have a wonderful burn to watch in a fireplace that is open or to warm your house. Buying poplar per cord is less than birch. You may burn a touch more wood but to heat a 900 square foot home you'll need less than 5 cords of wood.

It's undoubtedly cheaper than the cost per year to burn natural gas or fuel oil after you spend the time wearing out a chain on your saw and all the gas it costs to transport the wood home.

Needless to say if you love the wood heat there is no other fuel heat that will give you that much comfort, it's good exercise and it gets you out of the house.

Thanks,

Gary Thompson from the Thunder Bay district of Northern Ontario.
Mar 03, 2015
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starstarstarstarstar 		American Elm
by: Rodger Owens

Here in southeast Missouri my choice is American elm. It's a hardwood and hard to split so if you have a good wood splitter you're in luck. Cut it in the summer and let it cure for a year.
Nov 14, 2013
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starstarstarstarstar 		Using What's Available
by: Nick - Firewood For Life

Thanks Dave, I'm glad you like the site!

It sounds like we have a lot in common in regards to our passion for firewood. Maple is a great choice, especially if you're lucky enough to have it nearby.

I'm glad to hear you're not totally against poplar and you find it a viable firewood. A lot of people hate poplar but if you have realistic expectations it's actually not bad. Mixing it in with your maple or other hardwoods would be a great way to burn it. Plus, best of all it sounds like you have a lot of it and it's free! (which is always the best kind).

Most of us who heat with firewood do it to save money. If you have access to poplar and you've had good luck using it....why not burn it? Just remember, dead standing poplar can get pretty punky and the limbs could easily break off when you're felling the tree so just be careful.

Thanks for your comments and stay warm this winter!

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