# How to find and grow poplar trees in Minecraft

Canonical: https://crafting.recipes/guides/poplar-trees

Minecraft 26.3.

Updated September 20, 2026

![Red, yellow, and orange poplar trees on a Dappled Forest hillside above the water.](/images/guides/poplar-tree.webp)

All three poplar leaf colors in a Dappled Forest.

You’ll find poplar trees in **Dappled Forests**, with red, orange, and yellow leaves across their wide canopies. Whichever color you find, the trunks give you the same [poplar logs](/items/poplar-log.md), and the leaves can drop the same [saplings](/items/poplar-sapling.md).

## Find a Dappled Forest

Look for tall trees with light brown trunks and autumn-colored leaves. Some have [shelf mushrooms](/items/shelf-mushroom.md) on their sides. Fallen trunks are handy for wood; to collect saplings, find a standing tree with leaves.

If your debug screen shows biome names, look for `minecraft:dappled_forest`.

With cheats enabled or operator permissions, run this in the Overworld to find the nearest Dappled Forest:

```mcfunction
/locate biome minecraft:dappled_forest
```

The command gives you coordinates to travel to; it does not teleport you.

## Collect wood and saplings

1. Chop the [poplar logs](/items/poplar-log.md). An axe makes this faster.
2. Let unsupported leaves decay, or break leaves without shears or Silk Touch, for a chance of getting saplings.

Without Fortune, each leaf has a 5% sapling chance; [Fortune](/enchantments/fortune.md) raises that chance to 6.25%, about 8.33%, and 10% at levels I, II, and III.

For leaf blocks to build with, use [shears](/items/shears.md) or [Silk Touch](/enchantments/silk-touch.md). Harvesting leaves this way won’t give you saplings.

## Grow a poplar tree at home

Plant a single sapling on dirt or grass, with plenty of room for a full-sized tree.

The block above the sapling needs a light level of at least 9 for natural growth. Try [bone meal](/items/bone-meal.md) to speed things up; it may take a few uses. If the sapling stays small, check for blocks crowding it or hanging overhead.

Each tree has an equal chance of growing red, orange, or yellow leaves. For a particular color, keep planting until you get it—the parent tree and the biome won’t affect the result.

## Poplar leaves and wood

[Red poplar leaves](/items/red-poplar-leaves.md), [orange poplar leaves](/items/orange-poplar-leaves.md), and [yellow poplar leaves](/items/yellow-poplar-leaves.md) are separate blocks. The little leaves drifting down from the trees are just particles. Leaf blocks you place yourself stay put without a supporting log.

One poplar log makes **four [poplar planks](/items/poplar-planks.md)**.

> ### [Craft Poplar Planks](https://crafting.recipes/items/poplar-planks.md)
>
> #### Crafting
>
> Use: Inventory; [Crafting Table](https://crafting.recipes/items/crafting-table.md).
>
> **Output:** 4 × [Poplar Planks](https://crafting.recipes/items/poplar-planks.md)
>
> **Arrangement:** Shapeless
>
> Place ingredients anywhere in the crafting grid.
>
> ##### Ingredients
>
> - 1 × any of ([Poplar Log](https://crafting.recipes/items/poplar-log.md), [Poplar Wood](https://crafting.recipes/items/poplar-wood.md), [Stripped Poplar Log](https://crafting.recipes/items/stripped-poplar-log.md), [Stripped Poplar Wood](https://crafting.recipes/items/stripped-poplar-wood.md)).

Use the planks for [stairs](/items/poplar-stairs.md), [slabs](/items/poplar-slab.md), [doors](/items/poplar-door.md), [fences](/items/poplar-fence.md), or a [poplar boat](/items/poplar-boat.md). Use an axe on a placed log to make a [stripped poplar log](/items/stripped-poplar-log.md).