Tulipwood

[Hook]

I believe I have a dead tulipwood tree standing on my property line. Probably 30-35 ft tall. What are the chances this is any good for harvesting and getting a few bf of lumber out of?

 

[ScottM]

You are referring to a poplar tree and not some kind of ornamental tree right? How big is it?

 

[dkeller_nc]

Assuming you are referring to a Tulip Poplar ("Tulipwood", by the way, is a tropical species that's very hard, heavy, and expensive), a 30-35 foot tall tree would only be about 12" in diameter. Liriodendron Tulipfera grows to massive sizes in the NC piedmont - a 4 foot diameter tree is not unusual.

So - I would say that it's not worth your trouble if you're thinking of boards - it takes too much labor to saw with a portable chainsaw mill, and the boards would be quite small. You'd be better off buying some poplar that's already kiln dried and in larger sizes. In a retail lumber yard, the price is pretty cheap - $2.50 a b.f. or so.

However, if you're a bowl turner, tulip poplar makes excellent utility ware. The wood, once dried, doesn't impart flavor to food, and while it isn't the most attractive wood in the world, it's somewhat soft so it turns quickly and easily, and it is difficult to split, which is a good property for making salad bowls, dough bowls, etc...

 

[Hook]

Correct, not ornamental - the leaf looks like a rather large tulip. My father in law is identifying it as tulipwood, but personally, I have no clue. I would guess 30-35 feet tall, and the trunk splits into 3 sections, a rather large trunk at the bottom but at about 3 or 4 feet above the ground the 3 splits might each be 10" (give or take) in diameter.

 

[Gofor]

Correct, not ornamental - the leaf looks like a rather large tulip. My father in law is identifying it as tulipwood, but personally, I have no clue. I would guess 30-35 feet tall, and the trunk splits into 3 sections, a rather large trunk at the bottom but at about 3 or 4 feet above the ground the 3 splits might each be 10" (give or take) in diameter.

Your description of the leaves does not sound like the yellow poplar (aka tulip tree due to its flowers). Its leaves look like this:

http://forestry.about.com/od/hardwoods/ss/tuliptree.htm

Hope this helps

Go

 

[Hook]

The first picture is dead on for what this tree's leaves looks like (what's left of them).

 

[Gofor]

I would then say it is indeed tulip tree (AKA yellow poplar), which is actually a member of the magnolia family. Although they are hard to see due to the leaves, the flowers in the spring look like tulips sticking up from the branches. This is the same species that Lowe's and HD sell as poplar in their sanded lumber areas. For a 12" diameter tree, I also think cutting into turning blanks would probably be the easiest way to "tree-cycle", unless you can find someone with a small chainsaw mill. It is a good stable wood for secondary furniture structures, drawer sides, etc, and for face frames, etc on painted items, so the boards don't have to be too wide to be usable.

Go

 

[merrill77]

However, if you're a bowl turner, tulip poplar makes excellent utility ware. The wood, once dried, doesn't impart flavor to food, and while it isn't the most attractive wood in the world, it's somewhat soft so it turns quickly and easily, and it is difficult to split, which is a good property for making salad bowls, dough bowls, etc...

Would it also be good for wooden spoons and other kitchen uses? Does it hold up well in that environment? (my backyard experience is that it rots pretty quick in the wild)