Leaves on a yellow poplar tree begin to turn yellow due to the dry conditions that now encompass most of Indiana. Yellow poplar trees are not very drought-tolerant and forest experts expect some of the yellow poplar trees to die because of the drought. (Courtesy photos / Hoosier National Forest)
At a glance
The tulip tree was selected in 1923 by the Indiana Legislature as Indiana’s state tree.
The tree flowers bloom in May or June after the leaves are fully developed. Tulip trees can grow up to 100 to 165 feet tall and 3 to 61⁄2 feet in diameter.
The wood of the tree is light yellow to dark brown in color and is easily worked, making it a good wood for furniture.
Source: “Trees of Indiana” by Maryrose Wampler
Indiana’s state tree, the yellow poplar, also known as the tulip poplar, is dying across the state. It’s mostly due to the drought that continues throughout much of Indiana.
“I think we’re going to see mortality in the yellow poplar for sure,” said Chris Thornton, forest silverculturist for the Hoosier National Forest, which covers 203,000 acres across the state. Thornton is based in Tell City, a place that is about 13 inches below the average rainfall for the year at the moment. “We fear there might be a lot of mortality,” he said.
Thornton has noticed the trees’ leaves turning yellow and dropping from the trees “sooner this year than ever before,” a real sign of serious stress. He said even when conditions are dry in most years, it’s August when the leaves start to turn colors and fall. This year, the process began in June, which he said, “is almost unheard of.”
Thornton’s not the only one who’s noticed Indiana’s state tree is doing more poorly than other species. In a recent roundup of reports from foresters with the Indiana Department of Natural Resources across the state, it was the yellow poplar that is faring the worst.
© 2025 HeraldTimesOnline, Bloomington, IN