The Value of Real American Hardwoods, Poplar In Particular
Why Domestic Manufactured American Hardwood?
When it comes to durability, value, warmth, quality, and overall appearance, there is simply no alternative for genuine Real American Hardwood. Hardwood’s natural beauty, desirability and lifetime value can be imitated, but never replicated.
It’s also incredibly energy efficient - in fact, homeowners report recovering 118% of their installation costs when selling their homes. Additionally, domestically-manufactured hardwood allows for improved service and inventory flexibility, in addition to supporting the U.S. economy and jobs.
Why Poplar?
For centuries, American hardwoods like Poplar have been admired for their lasting beauty and sought after because of their milling quality and durability in the home or office. Known as the painters’ wood, Poplar dries easily with minimal movement in performance and machines to a smooth finish taking paint and stain exceptionally well for maximum performance.
Yellow Poplar, also known as American tulipwood, is as tall as it is abundant across North America. The species is native to eastern North America from Southern Ontario down to Florida and as far west as Illinois. It is most commonly found right here in the Appalachian forests of Kentucky and can grow to heights of 165 feet, often with no limbs until 80-100 feet. making it a perfect tree to harvest for timber.
The sapwood is creamy white and may be streaked, with the heartwood varying from pale yellowish brown to olive green. The green color in the heartwood will tend to darken on exposure to UV light and turn brown. The wood has a medium to fine texture and is straight grained. The size of the sapwood and some physical characteristics will vary according to growing regions. The wood has many desirable characteristics and is suitable for a wide variety of important uses.
The Poplar species is one of the largest trees in the U.S. Forest and can produce very wide and long specifications, which are relatively knot free. It represents around 9% of the standing hardwood resource, which ensures continuity and volume supply to both domestic and export markets.
The Value of Powell Valley Millwork
At Powell Valley Millwork, we create superior Appalachian Poplar millwork backed by exceptional customer service.
We pride ourselves in every step of the manufacturing process from careful procurement of raw materials, conservative drying practices, to optimization of the wood fiber through our rough mill, scanning, chopping, and finger-jointing all the way into our moulding and priming lines. At every work cell in our production facility, we utilize leading technology adhering to stringent quality control standards creating beautiful, sustainable, and durable products for every customer large and small.
Land, buildings, equipment, and working capital are all integral parts of any manufacturer, but none of them work without the right people. Our team of roughly 200 personnel are like family, dedicated to safety, quality, production, yield, and keeping our facility clean and organized. We are Kentuckians, Americans, and woodworkers focused on producing the highest quality Poplar products at competitive pricing while maintaining lasting relationships with our customers.
Responsible management of our forests is not just an environmental concern, it is also a wise business decision. At Powell Valley Millwork, we are committed to the sustainable use of the resource we consume to create beautiful mouldings. We are proud to maintain a 100% wood-waste free facility and utilize all fiber for finished goods, fuel for our boilers, or to create shavings for animal bedding. This is not simply a wise environmental decision, but also a business consideration. We must ensure the natural resource we consume is managed responsibly so it remains intact for future generations. Sustainable forest management is critical for our success.
