Yellow poplar is probably the third most important hardwood in our Eastern forests, after maple and oak. Much of the yellow poplar today is growing on excellent sites where the American chestnut used to grow in the late 19th century, before blight wiped out these magnificent trees.

As a result, yellow poplar is one of the largest trees in today’s Eastern forests, large in both diameter and height, often more than 3 feet in diameter and 150 feet tall with some 100 feet of the stem without a branch. Yellow poplar is a member of the magnolia family. In fact, from time to time, some lumber from cucumber tree or other magnolia is accidentally included with yellow poplar lumber; such lumber is much whiter in color.

Yellow poplar (Liriodendron tulipifera) is also called tulip poplar and tulip tree. Sometimes, it is called just poplar, which can lead to confusion with the true poplar species including aspen. However, yellow poplar is not related to the aspen poplar or European poplars. The volume of yellow poplar in the forest continues to increase every year in spite of large harvests. 

In fact, yellow poplar has been providing important forest products for North American inhabitants for many centuries. For example, much of the early wooden tableware was made of yellow poplar. Early European settlers used it for log cabins, although decay soon resulted in deterioration.

Yellow poplar has been used for everything from musical instruments to pallets and construction 2x4s, from veneer to particleboard and OSB.

Processing suggestions and characteristics
Density. Yellow poplar averages about 26 pounds per cubic foot at 7 percent MC. 

Drying. Yellow poplar is perhaps the easiest drying species native to North America. Some blue stain can develop if drying is not aggressive enough or if logs or green lumber was stored rather than processed immediately. Shrinkage in drying is 6 percent. Final moisture contents for yellow poplar should be between 6.0 to 7.5 percent MC. 

Gluing and machining. Yellow poplar machines very well. Sharp tools will minimize fuzzing. Yellow poplar is very easy to glue. The softness means that the wood is quite forgiving in gluing.

Stability. Yellow poplar is subject about 1 percent size change running across the grain parallel to the rings (tangentially) for each 3-1/2 percent MC change, and about 1 percent size change across the rings (radially) for each 6 percent MC change.

Strength. Yellow poplar is medium-low in strength and stiffness. The bending strength (MOR) averages 10,100 psi. Hardness averages 540 pounds. Stiffness (MOE) averages 1.6 million psi. 

Color and grain. Grain of yellow poplar is fine and uniform in texture. Sapwood is fairly white with a hint of light tan color with an obvious light green hue. For “show wood” the sapwood is preferred. Heartwood tends to be greener in color.