American tulipwood

Commercially American tulipwood is one of the most prolific hardwood species from the U.S. hardwood forests and is unique to North America, having been eliminated in Europe by the last ice age.

Latin Name

Liriodendron tulipifera

Other Common Names

yellow poplar, tulip poplar, canary whitewood; not to be confused with European or Chinese poplar

American_tulipwood_big
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Tulipwood trees grow exclusively in North America and are widely distributed throughout most of the eastern United States in mixed hardwood forests.  It is a single species and is not a poplar (Populus) being a Magnoliacae producing wood that is superior to the many poplar species. The trees are huge and identified by their tulip-like flowers giving rise to the name. Tulipwood grows from north to south and is one of the most sustainable hardwoods in the USA.

FOREST GROWTH

FIA data shows U.S. tulipwood growing stock is 1.12 billion m3, 7.7% of total U.S. hardwood growing stock. American tulipwood is growing 34.6 million m3 per year while the harvest is 12.8 million m3 per year. The net volume (after harvest) is increasing 21.8 million m3 each year. U.S. tulipwood growth exceeds harvest in all states.

Alabama : 65,089,030 m³ Arkansas : 860,680 m³ Arizona : 0 m³ California : 0 m³ Colorado : 0 m³ Connecticut : 3,064,300 m³ Washington DC : 0 m³ Delaware : 3,849,950 m³ Florida : 3,367,850 m³ Georgia : 82,931,630 m³ Iowa : 0 m³ Idaho : 0 m³ Illinois : 5,611,350 m³ Indiana : 37,642,530 m³ Kansas : 0 m³ Kentucky : 92,984,500 m³ Louisiana : 1,467,340 m³ Massachusetts : 0 m³ Maryland : 39,913,630 m³ Maine : 0 m³ Michigan : 1,618,940 m³ Minnesota : 0 m³ Missouri : 497,920 m³ Mississippi : 32,948,690 m³ Montana : 0 m³ North Carolina : 173,409,310 m³ North Dakota : 0 m³ Nebraska : 0 m³ New Hampshire : 0 m³ New Jersey : 9,348,250 m³ New Mexico : 0 m³ Nevada : 0 m³ New York : 4,198,810 m³ Ohio : 49,366,530 m³ Oklahoma : 0 m³ Oregon : 0 m³ Pennsylvania : 55,300,250 m³ Rhode Island : 98,210 m³ South Carolina : 32,069,270 m³ South Dakota : 0 m³ Tennessee : 102,616,320 m³ Texas : 0 m³ Utah : 0 m³ Virginia : 193,904,280 m³ Vermont : 0 m³ Washington : 0 m³ Wisconsin : 0 m³ West Virginia : 123,567,760 m³ Wyoming : 0 m³ 0-30K 30K-60K 60K-90K 90K-120K 120K-150K 150K-180K > 180K Volume of live trees on forest land, 1000 m³ 0 200K All data derives from The Forest Inventory and Analysis Database developed in 2001, a component of the U.S. Forest Service, Department of Agriculture.Data was compiled by AHEC in May 2020 using the most recent state inventory available (2018 for most states).“Forest volume” refers to “Net volume of live trees on forest land" as defined by FIA (see glossary). FIA forest volume data is available for 49 U.S. states (Hawaii and Washington D.C. are omitted) with total commercially significant hardwood forest volume of 14.6 billionWith the 2008 Farm Bill, every US State was tasked to prepare a Forest Action Plan by 2010, reviewed in 2015, to include comprehensiveassessment of forest condition and a strategy for sustainable forestry. Further details are available from theNational Association of State Foresters
Back to whole mainland U.S. 0-20K 20K-40K 40K-60K 60K-80K 80K-100K 100K-120K > 120K Volume of live trees on forest land, 1000 m³ 0 200K
-15K -10K -5K 0 5K 10K 15K 20K 25K GROWTH AND REMOVALS, 1000 m³ -10K -9K -8K -7K -6K -5K -4K -3K -2K -1K 0 1K 2K 3K 4K 5K 6K 7K 8K 9K 10K GROWTH AND REMOVALS, 1000 m³ -2000 -1750 -1500 -1250 -1000 -750 -500 -250 0 250 500 750 1000 1250 1500 1750 2000 GROWTH AND REMOVALS, 1000 m³ -300 -200 -100 0 100 200 300 400 500 GROWTH AND REMOVALS, 1000 m³ Removals 0 Growth 0 Net growth 0
0 200K 400K 600K 800K 1M 1.2M FOREST VOLUME, 1000 m³ 0 40K 80K 120K 160K 200K 240K 280K 320K 360K 400K 440K FOREST VOLUME, 1000 m³ 0 10K 20K 30K 40K 50K 60K 70K 80K 100K FOREST VOLUME, 1000 m³ 0 4K 8K 12K 16K 20K FOREST VOLUME, 1000 m³ Forest volume 0

LCA Tool

1.78
seconds
it takes 1.82 seconds to grow 1m³ of American tulipwood
The replacement rate is calculated from total U.S. annual increment of the specified hardwood species derived from the U.S. Forest Service Inventory and Analysis (FIA) program and assumes that 2 m³ of logs is harvested to produce 1 m³ of lumber (i.e. 50% conversion efficiency). The rapid rate of replacement is due to the very large volume of hardwood trees in U.S. forest.
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Tulipwood from the USA is readily available as sawn lumber in a wide range of grades and thicknesses (4/4” through to 16/4”) due to its ease of drying. A relative knot free timber average lumber widths and lengths can be higher than other commercial species. Tulipwood is used in plywood production but with more limited availability as decorative veneer. The sapwood produces the often preferred whiter wood, as the heartwood usually exhibits strong colour variation. However the use of unsorted tulipwood displaying all its natural colour variation is on the increase, especially in Europe. Tulipwood is sold domestically, and sometimes referred to in export, as ‘poplar’ but should not be confused with European or Chinese poplar. 

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Tulipwood has less strong grain characteristic than species such as ash and oak, and is more like maple in character but darker in colour. However, there is a marked difference between the sapwood and heartwood of tulipwood. The sapwood is creamy white whereas the heartwood can vary from pale yellow or brown and even green to purple in extreme cases. The wood darkens with time on exposure to UV light and the green colour will turn brown. The wood of tulipwood is straight-grained with a medium to fine texture.

Mechanical Properties

Tulipwood has extraordinary overall strength properties relative to weight, making it highly suitable for structural applications, such as glue-laminated beams and cross laminated timber (CLT). The wood has relative low density, with high bending, shock resistance, and stiffness values, but is lower in compression and hardness. The wood has medium steam-bending capability and is extremely stable when fully dry and not installed in humid conditions. It is easy to finish and stain, so is highly suitable for furniture and joinery.

To find out more about the mechanical properties of tulipwood read the full structural guide.

  • 0.42

    Specific Gravity (12% M.C.)

    449 kg/m3

    Average Weight (12% M.C.)

    9.80%

    Average Volume Shrinkage (Green to 6% M.C.)

    69.640 MPa

    Modulus of Rupture

    10,894 MPa

    Modulus of Elasticity

    38.198 MPa

    Compressive strength (parallel to grain)

    2,402 N

    Hardness
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Oiled
American_tulipwood_oiled
Un-oiled
American_tulipwood_unoiled
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  • Tulipwood lumber is easy to machine, plane, turn and glue with good performance screwing, although pre-boring is recommended. It tends to split when nailed. Tulipwood can easily be stained and polished to a very good finish. The wood can be susceptible to movement in performance in humid conditions.
     
  • The wood is non-resistant to decay. The heartwood can be resistant to preservative treatment, whereas the sap is permeable. Overall, tulipwood can be considered for preservation with modern preservation treatment methods including thermal modification, to which it is particular suited.
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This sustainably managed wood from natural forests of North America, with excellent environmental credentials, is a key species in many export markets. Its main uses are in furniture, doors, panelling, architectural interior joinery and mouldings and kitchen cabinets. It is also used in certain applications for construction and in some specialist applications such as carving.

Mouldings
Carving
Furniture
Doors
Panelling
Cabinets
Glulam Beams
CLT

Examples of Use

A Table Turned by Barnby & Day
Niewegein’s Theatre and Arts Centre by Frits van Dongen
Maggie’s Centre, Oldham by dRMM
Tulipifera sharpeners by Norie Matsumoto
Bilgola by Adam Goodrum