Click on the images help you identify a balsam poplar.
Form
Can grow to a height of 40 to 70 feet with a diameter of 24 inches or more. Tree grows upright with narrow, straight canopy that broadens at the top.
Bark
Bark is greenish brown to light brown and smooth. Older bark becomes grayish-black and deeply furrowed with flat ridges.
Leaf
Simple, alternate on stem, 3 to 6 inches long, half as wide, blunt finely toothed margins, shiny green (silvery green below with rusty blotches). Yellow in autumn.
Fruit (seed)
Small, cotton-like capsules grouped in 4 to 6 inch catkins, easily carried by the wind for long distances. Mature in late spring.
Range
Found throughout the northern and central Minnesota. Hardy throughout.
Wood uses
Heavy when green, light when dry. Soft, not very strong, close-grained, light brown, Sapwood is white. Used for pulp, boxes, packing cases, and rough lumber. Rots readily in contact with ground.