Rot Resistance of Poplar
- Also known as tulip poplar, American tulipwood, yellow poplar, popple and canoe wood, this North American tree isn't closely related to other poplars. It has creamy variegated sapwood and pale olive, yellow or brown heartwood with purple or blue streaks. Tulip poplar has little natural resistance to fungal rots or wood-boring insects. Objects made from this wood may be attacked by furniture beetles. The sapwood responds well to treatment with anti-rot preservatives, but the heartwood is mostly impermeable.
- Populus deltoides is also known as cottonwood or eastern poplar. It grows in Canada and the United States and produces white sapwood and grayish heartwood, which can be hard to distinguish from one another. This straight-grained wood has little natural resistance to decay-causing organisms. It can be treated with preservatives but tends to resist these initially. After preservative treatment, eastern poplar is suitable for use as posts and poles and in outdoor structures.
- Called California poplar, western balsam poplar, heartleaf balsam poplar and balm of Gilead, this tree grows in both North America and parts of eastern Europe. Like eastern cottonwood, this tree has white sapwood and grayish heartwood with a poorly-defined margin between the two. This wood has very little decay resistance and is a poor choice where durability is important. It is considered moderately resistant to preservative treatment impregnation.
- This tree is also called black cottonwood and balm cottonwood. Like Popular balsamifera, it may be sold as western balsam poplar. This relatively soft North American tree produces white to cream sapwood that merges into the heartwood without clear margins. The heartwood can be light gray to grayish-brown and may have dark streaks. Both heartwood and sapwood have poor rot resistance and are prone to sap and mold stains. The sapwood accepts preservatives, but heartwood is considered moderately resistant to preservative treatment.