Hybrid Poplar Trees, Easy To Grow And Profitable

Classified as a softwood, Hybrid Poplar trees are fast growing and adaptable to a wide variety of soils and climates. In perfect soil (loose, well-fertilized loam) and climate (regular rainfall, ample sunshine and temperatures around 80 degrees Fahrenheit), poplar trees can grow 3 feet or more a year.

In the seventies, American plant breeders wanting to improve on that growth rate cross-pollinated various poplar varieties with one another. Fast growing specimens were chosen from Cottonwood, Quaking Aspen, Balsam Poplar and Lombardy Poplar and cross-bred. The result was a Hybrid Poplar that grew 6 feet a year!

Fast Growing Poplar Trees

These new Hybrid Poplars created a new tree farming industry for the pulp and paper industry. Today, almost half of the Hybrid Poplar farms across America are grown for biomass.

A hybrid poplar tree farm earns gross revenue between $25,000 and $50,000 per acre in year 12 and double that in year 20. Hybrid Poplar is a fast rotation tree crop having just a 20-year span between planting, harvesting and replanting.

Benefits Of A Hybrid Poplar Tree Farm

• Grows three times faster than most other softwoods
• Economic returns in just 12 years
• Disease resistant
• Easy to plant
• Virtually no maintenance
• Stump sprouts produce next cycle tree production eliminating the cost of replanting

Growing Hybrid Poplar Biomass

More farmers are planting Hybrid Poplar tree farms on fallow land to supplement farm income. Planting these trees is gaining traction as a biomass fuel source for ethanol production and wood burning electrical plants. A harvest cycle between 5 and 7 years creates a sustainable revenue source for the farmer and because new shoots grow from harvested stumps, there is a cost saving each growing cycle as well.

One of the main benefits of hybrid poplar biomass is that it can be used for a variety of energy production methods, including combustion, gasification, and pyrolysis. Hybrid poplar biomass can be burned directly to produce heat and electricity, or it can be processed to produce biofuels such as ethanol or biodiesel.

Another benefit of hybrid poplar biomass is that it can help mitigate climate change by reducing greenhouse gas emissions. When hybrid poplar trees grow, they absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere through photosynthesis. When the biomass is used for energy production, the carbon dioxide that is released is offset by the carbon dioxide that was absorbed during the tree's growth, making it a carbon-neutral fuel source.

Hybrid Poplar Tree Farms

Although, Hybrid Poplar grows well on marginal land, it has the potential to explode with growth in ideal soil. This tree can reach heights of 30 feet in just 5 years in good soil, a great climate and adequate rainfall. A hybrid poplar tree farm would be extremely attractive to farmers looking for a secondary crop to grow on fallow farmland.

Hybrid Poplar Tree Farming

Hybrid Poplar tree farming requires preparation and an irrigation system in areas of the country with less than predictable rainfall and higher summertime temperatures much like the interior flatlands of Oregon and Washington States.

Planting And Tree Cropping

Step 1 – The site should be tilled to mulch the existing plant cover into the soil.

Step 2 – The tilled land is leveled and graded.

Step 3 – A biodegradable ground cover is laid out over the soil and is preferably dark colored to attract heat from the sun - important to accelerate growth in the early years. The ground cover creates a heat sink that will help young tree seedlings grow. The ground cover also mitigates weed growth eliminating competition for nutrient.

Step 4 – A drip irrigation system is installed if rainfall is deemed to be less than adequate.

Step 5 – Plant root seedlings rather than branch stock – root seedlings will take to the soil faster and have a higher survivability rate. Planting Hybrid Poplar close together, about 6 feet apart for pulp and 3 feet apart for biomass, will maximize profits.

Step 6 – Trees can be harvested when the trunk caliper is between 6 and 10 inches one foot off the ground.

Re-Cropping

Harvest Hybrid Poplar early in the spring, just as the sap starts to run and trees begin to bud. In about 3 weeks, 4 or 5 new shots will grow from the stump. Let them grow for the first season. Unless you are growing for biomass, select the tallest one and cut off the rest. The root will then put all its energy into growing one tree fast instead of 4 or 5 slow.

Hybrid Poplar North American Growing Zones

Hybrid Poplar grows across the native range of most indigenous poplars - across Canada, the Great Lake states and a few suitable climatic zones in the west. Faster growth rates are achieved in low-lying areas.

Hybrid Poplar Wood

The heartwood is light cream to yellowish brown, with occasional streaks of gray or green. Sapwood is pale yellow to white, not always clearly segmented from the heartwood. The more valuable poplar boards have mineral stained colors ranging from dark purple to red, green, or yellow and is sometimes referred to as Rainbow Poplar. Hybrid Poplar typically has a straight, uniform grain, with a medium to light texture. It’s very easy to work with but leaves a fine fuzz after finishing because of its low ring density. A finer grade of sandpaper is required to give it a smooth, finished surface.

Hybrid poplar wood has a number of characteristics and properties that make it useful for a variety of purposes, including furniture, construction, and paper products. Here are some of the key characteristics and properties of hybrid poplar wood:

• Color and grain: Hybrid poplar wood is generally a light yellowish-brown color with a straight, uniform grain.
• Durability: Hybrid poplar wood is a relatively soft wood, but it is moderately durable and resistant to decay and insect damage.
• Workability: Hybrid poplar wood is easy to work with and can be easily shaped and finished. It is also known for its ability to hold screws and nails well.
• Strength: Hybrid poplar wood is not as strong as some other hardwoods, but it is still strong enough for many applications. It has a moderate to high strength-to-weight ratio.
• Sustainability: Hybrid poplar wood is considered a sustainable choice for timber production, as it grows quickly and can be harvested on a short rotation. This makes it a renewable and eco-friendly alternative to slower-growing hardwoods.
• Uses: Hybrid poplar wood is commonly used for a variety of applications, including furniture, cabinetry, trim, paneling, and paper products.

Comments & Observations From Hybrid Poplar Farmer A:

I thought I would try planting some hybrid poplar on my farm. Since I had room, I thought I would plant two separate acres to test harvest volume between the two plots before I planted more land. I planted trees pretty close together, so I had somewhere in the neighborhood of poplar 9,000 trees an acre give or take. I let the first acre grow untouched, but I thinned every second hybrid poplar tree from the second acre. The idea was to compare harvestable wood volume. What I found was that I made twice the money from the thinned acre and the trees where bigger and healthier too! The trees where much thinner on the first acre and many had developed cankers on the trunks. I also noticed that 1,000 or more trees had died off from lack of sunlight – so I guess that first acre was trying to thin itself. So, from this I will definitely plant trees close together but thin them in year 4 or 5. I’m going to let them grow a little longer as well – probably 10 to 12 years. It’s also nice that I can use my profit from both acres to plant 100 acres in hybrid poplar trees.

Comments & Observations From Hybrid Poplar Farmer B:

I divided a large acreage into 20, 10-acre sections to create an ongoing income stream for the farm and my kids. The first section was planted in 2008 using hybrid poplar clones shipped in from out of state. It took about 10,000 seedlings to plant out the section. I repeated this over the next 10 years and now have half of my tree acreage planted in hybrid poplar – 10 more years to go before annual harvests. The trees in the first section are 40 feet tall with 8-inch trunks. To look out over the farm and see the tree sections at different heights is something to see. The paper mill has offered to buy all I grow at a cut and ship price of $6,000 per acre starting in year 20. Although that is below the best wholesale price I found when I started, I think $60,000 income every year would be great for the farm; and I don’t have to do any work and that’s a good thing considering the millions of spiders that have spun webs all through the hybrid poplar stands. I wouldn’t want to walk through there at night; it would make a great Halloween attraction. One thing I have notices as well is that there are not as many insects around – it must be the spiders.

Invest In A Hybrid Poplar Tree Farm And Earn $25,000 Per Acre

Depending on market conditions, a Hybrid Poplar tree farm earns gross revenue between $25,000 and $50,000 per acre in year 12 and double that in year 20. In year 8, thinned trees may be sold and/or converted into biomass wood products.

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