Had a guy stop by to ask about buying our popple trees. Any idea what they are worth? and what other considerations or questions should I be asking about when talking about price. What are the same trees worth if we cut them ourselves?

Janet

I have never heard of a popple tree. What is a popple tree.

Slang for poplar tree. HArd to sy what it is worth. Different species are used for different products . A year ago I had a cutter stop and ask about the wood. I told him I would be interested in getting rid of the poplar. He said it wasn't bringing anything and just being used for paper. I said he could have it just to get rid of it . He walked the property and said he would take the poplar but wanted to buy the hard wood. I wasn't interested in getting rid of the hardwood , he didn't come back????? They say it isn't worth anything, but price a poplar board at the lumber yard, someone is making money.

poplar tree, a type of aspen. The most common use around here is for pulp wood although it is also used for lumber (not considered the best choice tho, as it rots and splits rather easily).

Janet

Andy----I have never heard of a 'popple' tree either so I looked it up and found that "popple" trees can either mean Poplar or Ash varieties.

Poplar?

Somebody is trying to pull someone's leg. Yellow poplar is an excellent wood. It stands the weather very well, doesn't easily rot, and termites don't bother it. It's far superior to the pine or fir that is the main wood stocked by lumber yards.

Carl is right, I have a couple of small outbuilding built out of poplar lumber and "slabs". They have held up beautifully!

And I built my cattle chute (the above ground part) out of "popple" (full 2"x12" rough sawn by local Amish) that have lasted for almost 10 years with the only casualty being several boards that a jumping cow split. The posts that went into the ground are black locust. Highly underrated wood!

Think I am correct in saying that Pioneer uses Poplar
in building Wagon beds. Go to Lowe's and price a poplar board.

Poplar is the wood of choice for carriage bodies. There might be a speciality market for it.

Barb

Every body on the Porch should know that poplar is the wood of choice of many carriage/wagon makers. Lite weight but strong and won't rot.. And they can be pretty good size trees so you can get a lot of wide boards for various purposes.

I had elk hunters from Wisconsin and other places back east call our Quaking Aspen 'popple' trees.
If the popple Janet speaks of is similar to Aspen then it does rot fast. We use Aspen for paneling and firewood not saw lumber because it is so soft and rots fast.

I have built several kitchen cabinet fronts, drawers and doors, base board, door trim out of poplar What I got several weeks ago was 1.05 bd ft. That was dried, planed and edged. #2 pine at the big box stores is 1.59 bd ft.

I think we are talking about two different species of tree here.

Big Tooth Aspen is often reffered to as popple or poplar. It does not have much value for reasons alreday given.

Yellow Poplar is a fast growning native hardwood found here in our area. It is also known as whitewood and cuccumber. It grows tall and straight and has many uses as a lumber tree. The wood is easily worked. Many old houses had yellow poplar for window trim and door casings, base boards and so forth. It is usually clear and free of knots.

I believe the trees Janet speaks of are the aspen poplar. Primary uses are pulp wood and a little for pallets. It is a light wood without much strength. It can be used for siding and the like, but should be kept up off the ground. It rots quickly when exposed to ground water or manure. It does beat cardboard for building projects, is cheap to buy and lasts until an animal breaks the boards or they decompose.

I have used "Tulip Poplar" in a couple wagon beds and it works easy and takes stain well. I keep them inside. Many dairy barns around here are sided in poplar. They nail it on green because if you let it dry without tying it down good it will run on you. By the time it drys on the barn it contracts just enough to leave a nice air circulation crack.

Ralph has the answers. Yes, "cucumber" tree is good lightweight strong wood. It's a true magnolia. I have some ox yokes made of it. Yellow poplar,liriodendron tulipifera, is a significant commercial lumber tree in Ohio, used in furniture, paneling, and cabinetry. I've always called it tulip tree. It's not really a poplar but a type of magnolia. Aspen, on the other hand, is true poplar and in Ohio not worth much. I've never heard of "popple", always learning something new here.

Quaken aspen makes good posts for wet ground. Just like willow, many of them will sprout and grow and then not rot off next year.

thanks Ralph for clearing that up. I was not familiar with yellow poplar. Yes this is the aspen type. When I say it is weak and rots quickly, that is from experience I speak.

Our trees are mature and beginning to die and fall, so harvesting them now would be a good idea. We are going to wind up cutting them up one way or another. Fire wood is close to free around here due to some massive blow downs.

Someone stopped by interested in buying our trees and I would like to know what they are worth, both if the buyer harvests them, or if I harvest them.

Does anyone know what the going price for standing pulp wood is?

Janet

Where quaking aspen grows, I found people who called it "popple", and is very different tree from the tulip poplar we have here in the mid Atlantic. I have never heard the term "popple" used for the tree we know as Poplar. I have heard Tulip Poplar and Yellow Poplar used for the same tree. That is the one used for carriage bodies.

Janet, your question can be ansewerd by how far it is to a pulp mill. Trucking is the main expense. If you are offered much, they will tear your place up. A good logging job isn't cheap to do.

JWM, the value of your trees will be highly variable depending on their size, quality and the local market. Here in Manitoba, the major market for what we call trembling aspen or "white poplar" (Populus tremuloides) is to make oriented strand board from chips. There is also some market for sawlogs to make lumber and millwork where non-splintering wood is required like for handrails and pool decking. In general, poplar lumber is similar to white spruce in its qualities if it comes from sound trees and is properly sawn and dried.

If you are not familiar with the forestry business, being a landowner with standing wood to sell is like stepping into a minefield. Unfortunately, in every part of North America there are lots of logging companies willing to exploit the unwary landowner.

Yes, I am aware that there are many honest, ethical and careful loggers, some of whom post on this board. If you get someone who treats your land carefully, cuts only what you wants cut and pays you properly for it, your wood is a valuable resource.

The most important thing is to get some good advice before you let anyone cut on your property. Lots of landowners have been ripped off by fly-by-night logging operators who harvest all the high-quality, valuable trees and leave the dead, deformed and low-value trees behind, along with ruts, piles of slash and garbage discarded during logging. Many woodlot owners have found that the trouble and expense of cleaning up and fixing their properties after logging cost more than what they were paid for their trees. In some cases, loggers allowed on the property to harvest low-price poplar end up stealing high value trees like oak and ash if they get a chance. We have also had cases where loggers accidentally or deliberately cross out of where they are supposed to be working and cut trees on neighbouring properties or in stands which were supposed to be left alone.

If you have some sort of local government agricultural extension agent or conservation agency, ask for some advice before allowing any logging. Get a qualified person to do a stand assessment so you know how many trees you have and what their approximate value is before allowing any cutting. Mark which trees may be cut and flag off any sensitive areas (wet spots, stream banks, stands of vulnerable trees etc.) the loggers may not enter.

INSIST ON A SIGNED CONTRACT before allowing any cutting or hauling on your land. The contract should specify the identity of the landowner and the logger, define which areas may be logged, what species and that only the specified trees may be cut. Specify how the cut wood will be measured (i.e. by the weight of loaded trucks or by the cord)and insist on records (e.g. bills of lading from truckers or receipts from the sawmill where the wood is processed). Be aware that with dishonest operators, some of the best logs "accidentally" seem to fall off the trucks before they get to the mill. Specify what price will be paid (by weight or by the cord) for the wood and when payment will be made. Half the money before the trees are cut and half when the job is finished is a fair standard for both the loggers and the landowners and gives you at least partial protection against crooked loggers who disappear when your trees have been removed from your property. Once that truck goes down the road, you have very little recourse.

Make sure that the contract includes how the site will be left after the logger is finished--do you want all tops and slash to lie flat? How will any roads and trails be left, will any ruts be repaired etc. The logger is responsible for fixing any damage to fences, roads, stream crossing etc. and for making sure that there is no toxic or hazardous materials (diesel fuel spills, hydraulic oil spills, discarded containers and winch cables, etc.)

If you have a large amount of land to be logged, or if the trees are valuable, it would be a smart idea to hire a consulting forester to give you advice, and possibly to monitor and manage the harvest to make sure that it is done the way you want it and that you get all the money which is coming to you.

In any event, get a signed contract specifying what will happen and how you will be paid. A reputable logger should be able to post a performance bond or make a down payment based on the estimated value of the wood when it is sold. Make sure that the contract specifies that any subcontractors are bound by the same rules and that the person with whom you contract is responsible for the conduct of anyone he hires. Make sure that everyone working on your property has adequate liability insurance to cover any damage to your (or your neighbours) property. If you do some internet searching among landowner association or woodlot owner sites, you can probably find a sample contract to get you started.

Your experience may be positive or negative depending on how carefully approach this. Our land and our trees are valuable resources both economically and environmentally, so be alert and careful and think this through before doing anything. Take a long-term view and think how the potential logging will affect your property in the future. Research and forethought are your friends, so look for local advice and professional guidance. Find out all you can about the character, experience and reputation of anyone who wants to come on YOUR property and cut YOUR trees.

--Allan Webb, woodlot owner, occasional horse logger and current Secretary-Treasurer, Woodlot Association of Manitoba.

Here in northern new york we call trembling aspen popple

Allan Webb, that is it in a nutshell! Great advice!

Allen----excellent advice! I know 3 people who have experienced at least 5 of the negatives you mentioned. No, none of them were me.

It isn't always the logger that is crooked, met a lot of crooked land owners too. Even met a few crooked sawmills also.
If it is a matter of who loses on a deal, it usually isn't the one that has the most capital behind him.

Have you tried calling a couple local sawmills? Maybe they could cue you in on some local pricing. I believe, if you can be species specific, you can find board ft prices on some forestry web sites.

I heard its high rite now $150 per full cord???

very informative are all popple considered tulip?