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tulip poplar value

Started by mountaineer, June 13, 2008, 10:26:10 AM

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mountaineer

my father tells me i should sell the tulip poplars around my house. they are large and close  and would completely destroy my house if they fell. i probably have 40 trees with a dbh average of 25". i don't want to cut them because they are beautiful trees, but i don't want to end up in a motel after one of them crashes into the house. any idea what they might be worth. (nc mountains)? thx andy

David Freed

I don't have recent prices and I have heard that lumber prices have been falling in the last few months, but in any case, poplar has always been on the low end of the price scale. Since they are so close to your house, you will want whoever cuts them to be insured ( in case they drop one on your house and you end up in the motel). Getting someone other than a treecutting service to cut them might be a problem, and they usually don't know much about cutting sawlogs. You may end up paying more to get them cut and delivered than you get out of them.

Ron Scott

It sounds like a job for a tree service and not a logger.
~Ron

woodmills1

up here poplar doesn't pay for the cost of tree service, but we have aspen not tulip poplar, its just called poplar here. :P
James Mills,Lovely wife,collect old tools,vacuuming fool,36 bdft/hr,oak paper cutter,ebonic yooper rapper nauga seller, Blue Ox? its not fast, 2 cat family, LT70,edger, 375 bd ft/hr, we like Bob,free heat,no oil 12 years,big splitter, baked stuffed lobster, still cuttin the logs dere IAM

cantcutter

Around here they will not even buy tulip poplar, only yellow and it pays less than 200 a mbf

beenthere

What is the difference?
Are they not both Liriodendron tilipifera ?  whoops...speed typing. It is tulipifera, like Don said... ;D
south central Wisconsin
It may be that my sole purpose in life is simply to serve as a warning to others

Don P

Tulip is yellow, Liriodendron Tulipifera (sp?)

Ron Wenrich

I believe you'll find that yellow poplar is tulip poplar, just another name in a different part of the country.

Lumber value on the uppers is around $700-800/Mbf and about the same for veneer.   It drops off pretty rapidly after that.  

40 trees around your house and an avg dbh of 25" tells me that either you have a really big house, or you have a fairly large lot.  You might get someone to cut those that aren't close to the house.  But, then those wouldn't fall on your house in some sort of a storm.  Ice storms seem to be the worst for poplar.
Never under estimate the power of stupid people in large groups.

mountaineer

i've only got 5-6 around the house but i would be willing to cut the others if it made it better money wise. it sounds like it would actually cost money so i doubt that i will cut the trees. thx

Lanier_Lurker

I'm no expert (so please pay more attention to the guys that have the FORESTER next to their names).  But, here is my opinion.

My house is also surrounded by tulip/yellow poplar trees in the size range you mention.  I'll also assume that your's are between 80 and 110 feet tall like mine.

I have watched these trees very carefully during high wind events, and they appear to be very windfirm (unlike the shaky pines that are mixed in).  Aside from one large poplar limb falling on my deck and taking out my aluminum table, I have had no problems.  This was a simple self pruning event with one of the smaller (21" dbh, 80-85' tall) trees as it is trying to catch up with some of the big boys.

If yellow poplar can establish canopy dominance (which I think they often do), then off-axis (off-perpendicular) growth does not happen much.  They tend to be arrow straight with little or no lean.

Unless you have some trees that are diseased, of poor form, or in obvious distress, I would leave them alone.  To me, the shade and ambiance provided by a stand of 70 - 100 year old forest-grown yellow poplar is quite valuable.  Most of my trees are limb free up to at least 60'.  Of course, I have to deal with the messes they make, in both the spring and fall.  But, I would rather blow leaves and blooms than mow grass any time!

Now, if you had an infestation of large black cherry instead of yellow poplar - well, that might be different.   :) ::)

Qweaver

TrussJoist, a company in central WV, fabricates many kinds of laminated lumber using yellow poplar exclusively.  They use huge amounts of trees, so I guess poplar brings a pretty good price there.
So Many Toys...So Little Time  WM LT28 , 15 trailers, Case 450 Dozer, John Deere 110 TLB, Peterson WPF 10",  AIM Grapple, Kubota 2501 :D

cantcutter

Quote from: Ron Wenrich on June 14, 2008, 11:51:34 PM
I believe you'll find that yellow poplar is tulip poplar, just another name in a different part of the country.


Looks like your right. I hear alot of people around here refer to tulip poplar, but the quarterly price reports I get from the state only have yellow poplar on them..... Back in Vermont we have yellow, not tulip.

beenthere

Quote from: Qweaver on June 16, 2008, 08:04:57 AM
TrussJoist, a company in central WV, fabricates many kinds of laminated lumber using yellow poplar exclusively.  They use hugh amounts of trees, so I guess poplar brings a pretty good price there.

OR....that they get good, clear lengths of poplar laminates for a relatively low price (that would be my guess  :) ).  Building up a laminate would maximize the strength of the poplar.
south central Wisconsin
It may be that my sole purpose in life is simply to serve as a warning to others

WDH

Yellow poplar and tulip poplar are the same tree, Liriodendron tulipifera.
Woodmizer LT40HDD35, John Deere 2155, Kubota M5-111, Kubota L2501, Nyle L53 Dehumidification Kiln, and a passion for all things with leafs, twigs, and bark.  hamsleyhardwood.com

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