Best way to dry a slice of a trunk?

[Wild Turkey]

Had a big Poplar in front of my house but it took a major lighting strike last summer and when it started shedding branches I decided to take it down.  (It was also in the way of a road widening project so it's days were numbered)

Got it on the ground (not without excitement, but that's another story) and found it was 30" wide at the butt but had a 12" hollow in the heart.

So much for getting it sawn into lumber.

However I have a niece that makes crafty stuff out of tree discs and she thinks these will work wonderfully, etc etc.

I'll chainsaw them about 1-1/2" thick but what's the best way to dry them?

[opticsguy]

Most likely they will crack unless sealed.  If the centers are really rotten or missing you will have a better chance.
Although not poplar, i did an experiment many years ago, cut a spaulted alder and stuck in my lathe to try out my newly made sphere cutter and cut a sphere 10" diameter with a base and then coated with polyurethane.  NO cracking to this day, almost 4 years later.  Also there are sealants out there on the internet, depends on your budget.
An alternative is to find a band-saw mill guy who can cut into whatever you want.  
Have fun!!

[TmanPDX]

Hollow trunks make great coffee tables

The more spalting the better. 

[MichaelMouse]

Don't cut 90 degrees across.  70-75 will divert some of the mechanical stress produced by drying to distortion rather than destruction. 

Best success I have seen was by an old timber cruiser who layered newsprint between and on the outside faces of his stack of slabs.  Renewed them at about ten days, then an additional 20 to control spalt.  Took six months before he'd sticker rather than stack. 

Hoadley's book has some other techniques you might want to try.  Good luck.

[Wild Turkey]

This is the stump -- 30" across, hole is ~12" and goes all the way through.