Poplar and aspen Firewood
Poplar and aspen, including quaking aspen, bigtooth aspen and tulip poplar, are light, fast-growing woods. They are common, easy to work and dry quickly, but they give the least heat per cord of the common hardwoods.
- Heat per cord
- 14.7 (aspen) to 17.5 (tulip poplar) million BTU
- Weight per cord
- 2,100 lb (air-dried)
- Ease of splitting
- ●●●●○ 4 of 5
- Seasoning time
- 6 to 12 months
- Smoke
- Moderate
- Sparks
- Few
- Coals
- Poor
- Scent
- Faint
- Type
- Hardwood
- Common in (US)
- Great Lakes, Rockies, Northeast, Alaska
Splitting poplar and aspen
Aspen and poplar split easily, especially when frozen.
Seasoning poplar and aspen
These woods start out very wet but dry quickly once split, often in 6 to 12 months.
Burning poplar and aspen
Dry aspen burns fast with little ash and few sparks, and leaves few coals. It suits spring and fall fires and starting fires.
Gear for poplar and aspen
If you burn mostly aspen, plan for more cords and more frequent loading. The cord calculator shows how big the difference is.
Splitters and splitting tools
- Best Electric Log Splitter Under $500: 5 Splitters for Home Firewood
- Best Splitting Maul: 5 Mauls for Splitting Firewood by Hand
- Best Log Splitter for Home Use: 4 Splitters for a Cord or Two
Chainsaws
- Best Battery Chainsaw for Homeowners: 5 Cordless Saws Compared
- Best Chainsaw for Firewood: 5 Gas Saws for Cutting Cords
Stoves, storage and moisture
- Best Wood Stove for Heating a House: 5 Freestanding Stoves Compared
- Best Firewood Moisture Meter: 5 Pin Meters for Seasoned Wood
- Best Firewood Rack with Cover: 5 Outdoor Racks Compared
Size the splitter for your poplar and aspen with the log splitter tonnage calculator, and see how many cords a winter takes with the firewood cord calculator.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is poplar good firewood?
It is acceptable firewood for milder weather and kindling. It burns fast and gives less heat per cord than denser hardwoods.
Is aspen good firewood?
Dry aspen burns cleanly with little ash, which is why some people like it for cleaning out a stove, but it gives low heat per cord.
Is tulip poplar the same as aspen?
No, they are different trees. Tulip poplar is a little denser than aspen, but both are light hardwoods.
Compare with similar woods
Cottonwood (15.8 million BTU per cord). Or see all 23 species side by side.