Can someone tell me what kind of tree this is?

red97xj

Thanks for your help! I live in Northern Indiana. I am trying to find some good trees to use for making some hiking Staff's. What kind of tree's are these in these pics?









Thanks SO much for your help.

fosheezy

g'day mate, thats Populus alba (White Poplar) you got there, i dont think the world will miss it if you cut it down and make something useful out of it, peace out.

kiwi_tree_steve

+++

definatly Populus alba

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"You have to feel and touch a tree" Shigo

Bernard Keays

Does any one know what the spots are on the leaves? Tar Spot fungus would be my guess but we don't have these trees round here. Is it a common problem with Populus alba?

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Bernie

red97xj

thanks for your help! I am sorry I don't know much about trees YET (hoping you guys and the web will help me with that).

Do you think that will be a good sturdy walking stick, or is it to soft or weak?

Thanks!

blair duncanson

Look at the scrub trees in your area. The ones that seem to have fallen over and sprouted again are potentially the ones to target.? Find out what 'coppices' and grows not too fast, they make the best sticks. Corylus, Crataegus and Prunus spinosa and Fraxinus make the sticks here.

Eden Keeper

I know it is an old thread, but I new to the forum, and the subtopic in this is one of my favorites.
The best wood I've found for a hiking stave is princesstree, Paulownia tomentosa, it is strong, extremely light, and a straight sucker can be grown from a coppice every year (especially in full sun). Besides it keeps this somewhat invasive exotic from spreading although it is usually just present in disturbed areas.
The worst I've see (besides rotten found and down sticks) is tulip-poplar, Liriodendron tulipifera L., which is light and straight, but it tends to break into 3 sharp pieces if enough force is applied such as when the stave is most needed to break a fall. The last thing you need is for a hiking stave to break much less pose a significant risk causing a serious wound when it does.
Another commonly planted exotic species a friend of mine favors for use as a hiking stave is crepe-myrtle. The best way to get these is to find (one long enough) and correct the practice of "crepe-murder" where it is often maintained (monkey-see-monkey-do) as a poorly formed pollard (probably by somebody that doesn't even know what a pollard is).
A few others that I have tested include black locust (very heavy), basswood (light and fragile, but at least it breaks cleanly), and devil's walking-stick (after peeling off the bark and spines it splits lengthwise resulting in pinching unless there is a grip). All of these are harder to peel than princesstree. Anything (hickory, ash, etc.) suitable for tool handles is commonly used.