Need advice on building a log home with yellow poplar logs, these trees have been cut down but stacked four years ago by a logging copany, but have been left behind. Are these trees still good for house logs,

-- Bert Aubin (aubinb@ntl.sympatico.ca), September 05, 2001

Answers

I would think you would need to look them over very carefully for wood rotting fungi, powder post beetles, termites, carpenter ants, severe checking etc.. basically anything that rots or eats wood could have gotten into them after four years of exposure. Yellow poplar isn't known for weathering well.

-- Susan (smtroxel@socket.net), September 05, 2001.

Bert, For old timers yellow popular was the number one choice. I just finished sawing pattern for a 3800 sq ft house. It is considered a soft hard wood which makes it easy to work with. You can drive the country side in Tenn and see over 100 year old houses both log and yellow popular weather boarded. I cut the timber on a man's farm last fall who put yellow popular on his 4600 sq ft house. It will last over 100 years un painted where it can breathe. Of course I would think the modern stains would work. Also I am told by the old timers that termites will not eat yellow popular. I have never seen any that had been termite eaten. I know where a log barn is with a 40 ft large yellow popular laid above the door ways. I wander how they got it up there over 100 years ago. Now I've seen yellow popular poles laid in a pile rot in a short time. The sap will rot especilly when piled up.

good luck in your endaver

Charles-n-Tenn

-- charles gentry (cbgentry@mlec.net), September 05, 2001.

Cool! I did not know that, I always thought poplar was like other soft hardwoods and not rot resistant. Thanks for straightening me out Charles.

-- Susan (smtroxel@socket.net), September 06, 2001.

just make sure it IS yellow poplar,, the kind here in Mich rots real fast

-- stan (sopal@net-port.com), September 07, 2001.

Termites WILL eat yellow poplar!! I am fighting them now.

-- Richard Arnold (Trickn7474@yahoo.com), September 08, 2001.

Old timer's will tell you that if kept dry poplar will last forever, its been used as siding on barns for years.

-- Adam (possumdog@yahoo.com), September 11, 2001.