Popular poplar trees leave many majestic memories

Popular rapid-growth poplar trees of the Great Depression lined Himrod Avenue on the East Side of Youngstown. The huge majestic trees like sentinels stood in a row reaching for the sky. I remember that those types of trees stood on an empty lot where we played basketball because a backboard was nailed to one of them. I have not seen a tree like that for years.

During a heavy rainstorm, lightning bolts were attracted to those trees. The cacophony of lightning and thunder combination roared through the neighborhood.

Poplar is now popular in home construction as a finish wood such as oak, maple and cherry. Many years ago I used ash as my finish- wood work. It is open grain like oak except that it has a yellowish cast – not reddish like oak.

ASH FASCINATION

I was so fascinated by ash when building my home that I wanted to install it in my floors, but I was not able to obtain it. It turned out to be a moot point since not many years after moving in, the beautiful oak floors were carpeted.

I visited my cousins in Agnone, Italy, and found they used beautiful walnut trim extensively there as a trim wood. The year was 1977.

Michael J. Lacivita is a Youngstown retiree and member of the Ohio Senior Citizens Hall of Fame and the Ohio Veterans Hall of Fame.