To what genus does poplar trembling belong? Community of green men. When creating water-regulating, soil-protective and field-protective plantations
Populus, poplar, aspen. Fast growing dioecious, often very tall trees. The leaves are wide on long petioles. Flowers in cylindrical catkins bloom in spring before the leaves. Traditional plants for alleys and large parks.
Types and varieties of poplar
There are about 40 species in the genus, distributed in Europe, America, North Africa and Asia.
Poplar trembling, Aspen (Populus tremula)
A tree up to 30 m high with a sparse crown and light greenish-gray bark. The leaves are almost rounded, 3-10 cm long, gray or bluish-green, young leaves are pubescent, becoming scarlet-red in autumn. Blooms until leaves appear in April. Earrings up to 15 cm long. The fruits are inconspicuous boxes, ripen in July.
Type of zimostek. USDA Zone 1
Popular variety of aspen " Pendula " — low grade with a weeping crown. Leaves with a rounded serrated plate, trembling, on a long petiole. Earrings with long black pubescence. The variety is unpretentious. At aspen poplar (Populus tremuloides) or American aspen there is a similar variety " Pendula" . This variety has pointed and serrated leaves.
Balsam poplar (Populus balsamifera)
A large deciduous tree with a relatively narrow pyramidal crown. Branches with large resinous buds. Leaves up to 15 cm long, oval, rough, dark glossy above, whitish below.
Closely related species: whitish poplar, Korean poplar, bay leaf poplar, fragrant poplar, bristle-fruited poplar. In culture, hybrids are most often grown that tolerate heavy pruning and are suitable for sunny areas.
Laurel poplar (Populus laurifolia)
Homeland - Western Siberia to the Angara, East Kazakhstan; Mongolia. Widely distributed in culture from 60 ° C. sh. up to the steppe zone, inclusive, is available in Tajikistan.
Tree up to 25 m with a wide crown. The bark at the base of old trunks is dark gray, with deep cracks, on large branches it is gray-green, smooth. Young branches are straw-yellow, ribbed due to the presence of pterygoid cork outgrowths, pubescent along the edges. Buds are sharp, sticky, covered with yellowish resin, fragrant. The leaves are oblong-ovate with a pointed apex, dark green, shiny, whitish below, 12 cm long and 5 cm wide. Petiole several times shorter than blade, pubescent. Blooms at the same time or before the leaves bloom, in April-May. Male earrings have purple anthers, female earrings are greenish-yellow. Fruits - slightly pubescent boxes, seeds with long hairs, ripen in June-July. Low ability to root cuttings.
Frost-resistant. USDA zone 4
Berlin poplar, or Berlin laurel poplar (Populus x berolinensis)
A hybrid from the group of black topo-lei. Tree up to 30 m tall with a columnar crown. Branches are yellowish gray. The leaves are oval, angular, up to 10 cm long, roughly serrated, bright green.
The species tolerates heavy pruning, unpretentious.
Canadian poplar, real American, or black poplar hybrid (Populus x canadensis, P. x euamericana)
A hybrid of deltoid poplar (Canadian) and black poplar.
Tall tree over 20 m tall with open or raised branches and resinous fragrant buds. The bark is light grey. The leaves are similar in shape to birch, on reddish petioles, serrated, sharp, up to 10 cm long.
Popular varieties and forms of Canadian poplar:
In varieties " Dorskamp", "Nor "easier" and "Robusta" (P. x robusta) rounded crown; in varieties " Eugenii" ("Imperial", "Serotina") and "Prairie Sky"- koloid.
Simon's poplar, or Chinese poplar (Populus simonii)
Homeland - Northeast China, Korean Peninsula, eastern part of Mongolia.
A tree with a narrow neat crown up to 20 m tall. Blooms in early May.
Type of zimostek. USDA Zone 1
The popular variety fastigiata" with a pyramidal crown. The variety does not flower. Winter hardiness is high. Steady in the city.
Black poplar, or poplar (Populus nigra)
Homeland - the valleys of Central and Southern Europe.
Tree up to 25 m tall with gray, wrinkled bark. The crown is wide, spreading. Dark green, shiny leaves are triangular or ovate with a sharp apex, serrated, up to 10 cm long, on long petioles.
White poplar, or silver poplar (Populus alba)
Deciduous tree up to 25-35 m. The crown is broadly spreading, starting low from the ground. The bark is light gray, smooth, dark gray or black in old age, with deep cracks. Shoots are green in spring, with white-felt pubescence. Buds are small, 5 mm, pubescent in spring, shiny. The leaves are alternate, ovate, rounded or triangular-ovate, dense, 6-12 cm long, 5 cm wide, silvery-felt below. Leaves on long shoots are palmate-lobed, and on short shoots almost rounded. Most of the leaves remain green in autumn, the rest turn lemon yellow. The plant is dioecious. Male catkins are thick, whitish, with carmine-red anthers, 4-6 cm long, hanging. Female catkins 10 cm long, stigmas yellowish or whitish. Blossoms in April, before the leaves bloom, bears fruit in June. It has a powerful root system exceeding the diameter of the crown.
This species prefers moist, nutrient-rich soil that is slightly acidic or slightly alkaline.
Zimostek. USDA Zone 4
Interesting cultivars of silver poplar: "Nivea"- a tree up to 30 m high with a powerful wide crown, " Pyramidalis"- a tree with a narrow-columnar shape of the crown at the beginning, and with a wide-conical then.
poplar care
Almost all species require good soil, and they all avoid stagnant moisture, acidic soil, and prolonged drought.
Poplars have a particularly high nutrient requirement.
Despite the general resentment of the widespread poplar fluff, botanists insist on the irreplaceable benefits of these unpretentious giants. First of all, it is important for megacities and industrial settlements. But besides the fact that it performs the function of the most powerful biofilter, it also has medicinal properties, is a good and valuable building material. What is silvery variety of poplar, what is beneficial for growing, and where it can be applied - read about all this further in the article.
Other names
On young seedlings there is a smooth bark, which rather resembles a smoky coating of felt. Mature trees are distinguished by a longitudinally fissured surface of the trunk of a light silvery or slightly greenish color. Older trees can be recognized by deep cracks and dark bark that often turns black.
Leaves
In spring, small egg-shaped leaf buds appear on the branches of white poplar. Moreover, on old branches they are bare and glossy, and on young ones they are covered with light pubescence. From them leaves of various forms appear. Some specimens may be delta-shaped, others oval, egg-shaped, multilobed. All this extravaganza of forms is united by a dense structure, dimensions and colors of sheet plates. From above they are dark green and smooth, and from below - silver-felt. Closer to November, the foliage becomes bright yellow, in the rainy season it can turn brown. But the peculiarity of abel is that its leaf fall begins even with a green crown. On average, each leaf reaches up to 12 cm in length and up to 10 cm in width. It is attached to the branch with a short cylindrical petiole.
Did you know? Depending on cultivation conditions and various environmental factors, poplar can change sex from female to male and vice versa.
flowers
Depending on the climatic features, the tree blooms in the last weeks of April-early May. Often this period coincides with the blooming of foliage.
Among the inflorescences of the plant, which are catkins up to 8 cm long, botanists distinguish between male and female samples. The former are characterized by a gray color and bright terracotta stamens, while the latter are green-gray in color. Besides allergens are trees with female flowers. After pollination, seeds are formed in them, which fully ripen by summer. 
Fruit
Achenes have the shape of a narrow cone. In the first phases of development, they are distinguished by a bright green color and a smooth structure. As they mature, their color becomes light brown. At the end of summer, the seed pods become completely dark. A pair of valves is clearly visible on them, from which small grains spill out with specific long villi at the base. 
root system
Typical features of the silver poplar root system are power and stature. It develops depending on the physico-chemical characteristics. In humid areas, fibrous roots are located in the surface layers, and in loamy and sandy zones they deepen as far as possible, reaching moisture. Young shoots often appear at the bottom of the trunk. It can also be found at a fairly significant distance - 20 m from the mother tree.
Some Features
In fact, silver poplar has many unique characteristics. Let's consider the most interesting of them.
Average height, width
These trees are considered by many to be giants. The tallest poplars reach 60 meters in height. In our latitudes specimens below 19 m are not found. At the same time, the diameter of the old trunk can reach a width of two meters, and the crown stretches up to 35 m. 
In urban areas, such features of white poplar are very much appreciated. After all, according to Peter Bulakh, Doctor of Biological Sciences of the National Botanical Garden named after N. N. Grishko of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, the plant develops rapidly, easily adapts to sudden temperature changes and growing conditions. In addition, due to the branches directed upwards and the highly elongated crown, space is saved and large volumes of air polluted by automobile exhausts are simultaneously cleaned. The scientist says that poplar foliage is able to absorb even metal-containing dust and is the leader in the list of trees in terms of the intensity of atmospheric filtration.
growth rate
When you look at the tall poplars, it seems that they grow to such peaks for an eternity. And it turns out that the intensity of growth in silver and other varieties is fixed only in the first fifty years. Older trees slow down their development, and after 10–20 years, they stop growing altogether.
Once on fertile soils, silver poplar reaches its maximum height already at the age of 25. From the moment of planting, it annually increases upwards by 1 m, and in breadth - by 40 cm.
Now you can imagine the speed with which metabolic processes take place in the fabric fibers of wood. She is very resilient and can revive even when the trunk breaks during a hurricane.
Lifespan
Lumberjacks often joke that trees live until they are firewood and boards. In this black humor, of course, there is some truth. But if poplar cuttings are not taken into account, then the life expectancy of a poplar is measured in centuries. Today, scientists say that many trees have been preserved, which over 400 years but there are also 600-year-old giants.
Important! Poplar trees do not like to compete for room for their roots and are also known for their aggressive spreading. That is why they are not recommended to be planted closer than 15 m from buildings. The root system of a plant is capable of destroying underground and drainage structures, as well as the foundations of buildings and draining soils. Poplar becomes especially dangerous in clay areas.
Growing conditions
Scientists constantly talk about the good survival rate of the silvery species. Let's figure out what is still the most suitable culture for a comfortable growing season.
Distribution and habitat
Today, abel poplar is known without exaggeration on all continents. The tree can be seen in the subtropical, Mediterranean, temperate continental and temperate climatic zones. Its range is almost the entire territory of Eurasia, not including Scandinavia. Wild thickets are found near water bodies, in riverine forests, floodplains, oxbow lakes and valleys. In the steppe zones, it is comfortable for them to grow on slightly saline soils. And in rocky areas, these giants can climb thousands of meters above sea level. 
Often they coexist with moisture-loving tamarisks, but they can also be placed singly.
Soil, moisture requirements
The ideal place for the unpretentious false white poplar to grow is fertile, moist, light substrates with good and neutral acidity. But in the absence of such a blessing, the plant can be content with slightly acidic and alkaline soils, endure arid sandstones, heavy loams, and will even find vitality on silt and rubble.
Important! The tree reacts very painfully to cutting branches.
The plant is fully satisfied by nearby rivers and lakes or groundwater. Moreover, the root system does not suffer at all from prolonged flooding. But the drought resistance of the tree is average. 
Lighting Requirements
Perhaps this is the only categorical condition that is vital for sun tree. It loves a lot of ultraviolet and needs it. It can adapt to partial shade, but in such conditions its growth will slow down. Although, judging by the size of the poplar, the shadow does not threaten him.
Frost resistance
Botanists celebrate high plant resistance to low temperatures. It can easily overwinter at -30°C.
reproduction
Getting a new plant seedling is very simple. In tropical regions, this process is possible, and in temperate climatic zones, vegetative propagation of silver poplar is more practiced. It is carried out by either separating the root shoots. Let's look into the details in more detail.
Important! Poplar seeds lose their suitability after a year. The best conditions for their storage are cold and low humidity.
If you like botanical experiments and are a rather patient and optimistic person, then you can take a chance with sowing grains. Just be prepared right away that they have the best germination immediately after harvest. It was then that you need to harvest peat pots and sow. 
This is done in wet substrate. When sowing seeds outdoors, it is desirable, without waiting for germination, to cover the bed with a thin layer of straw. The material will retain moisture and protect the grains from weathering and washing out by rain.
When seedlings appear, provide them with good lighting. After all, in the shade they will be strongly stretched, become thin and fragile. Such conditions can destroy the sprouts in the very first days after germination.
Experts advise giving preference seedling method using peat pots or In this case, it will not be necessary to separate young shoots into individual containers. But if this is not done, leaving the poplar shoots crowded in the garden, all efforts will be in vain. The idea will fail, because the root system of the tree does not like to compete for space, nutrition, moisture and sun. 
Important! When cutting cuttings, make sure that each of them has 2-3 leaf buds.
Of the vegetative propagation methods, cuttings are the easiest. To get a new seedling, you need to prepare planting material in March. This is usually done for mass landings, therefore, a whole bunch of apical branches is cut, after which they are tied up and placed in a bouquet in a jar of water. By the way, liquids need up to half the capacity. Then everything is put in the refrigerator until planting. As a rule, it comes in the second decade of April.
The process itself consists in planting blanks in such a way that two-thirds of them are underground, and 1 kidney is necessarily left in the above-ground part. In a month, small roots will appear. To do this, it is important to monitor the moisture in the soil.
Branch of root cuttings- complex and troublesome procedure. Often it ends in failure, due to damage to the young seedling when separated from the maternal root. 
decorative forms
Beautiful non-standard green-silver coloring of foliage and light bark of white poplar give it an unusual decorative effect. The tree is beautiful in all seasons. That is why it is often used in garden and park design to create compositions, framing alleys.
Did you know? Each hectare of fifteen-year-old abele plantations yields more than 200 m³ of wood.
The tree fits beautifully into the architecture of water zones, can grow in combination with other plants that differ sharply in color and alone. 
Among the most popular decorative forms of the silver variety are:
- spherical (globosa)- is a medium-sized tree with branches densely arranged in the form of a wide oval and small foliage;
- weeping (pendula)- differs by a low trunk and drooping down branches;
- Richard (Richardii)- it is characterized by a yellow coloring of a glossy surface;
- snow white (var.nivea)- looks spectacular due to the snow-white back side leaves that contrast with the silvery surface.
Application and properties
White poplar is not only spectacular decoration large parks and coastal zones, but also an excellent honey plant, a healing agent for people, and also a valuable building material. Let's find out in detail what is the secret of the plant's uniqueness. 
Landscape qualities
In the conditions of megacities, the compactness of the volumetric crown is valued. The plant is often used as fire protection, strengthening of coastal zones. This is facilitated by the high resistance of culture to strong sea winds. But, unfortunately, this ability deteriorates after reaching the age of ten.
People have learned to take advantage of the aggressiveness of the roots of white poplar. That is why it can often be seen on sand dunes near water bodies.
Important! For mass plantings of the silver variety of poplar, it is recommended to keep the distance between the trunks of 3 m, and for multi-row layouts, the row spacing should be such, and after 5 m a new seedling is planted.
Medicinal properties
If you take the whole silver poplar tree, then its foliage, bast and outer layers of wood are considered edible. According to scientists, leaf plates are valuable because they contain vitamin C, dried bast can be added to flour for baking bread, and the bark relieves pain, inflammation, has a disinfectant, diuretic, astringent and tonic effect.
In the composition of the surface parts of the poplar trunk, salicylates were found, which are the active ingredient in many painkillers, including aspirin.
Pharmacology widely uses the bark of the plant for the manufacture of a number of medications for rheumatism, gout, arthritis, lumbar pain, digestive tract dysfunction, fever, anorexia, menstrual pain, general weakening of the body. 
ethnoscience advises many recipes using poplar raw materials for the treatment of purulent non-healing wounds, abscesses, diseases of the oral cavity, hemorrhoids and frostbite.
Important! Some vegetable growers advise using a cold extract from the leaves and young branches of white poplar as a growth stimulant. A solution is made by soaking finely chopped raw materials in plain water for a day.
honey plant
When a poplar blossoms, its branches flock from everywhere. The fact is that a tree gives a good bribe. Beekeepers note that silver poplar is only slightly inferior to linden in terms of honey-bearing characteristics. Pollen from males to females is spread by the wind. And although during the flowering period, many grumble, complaining about the allergy caused by poplar fluff, it is absolutely impossible to get rid of the tree. Ecologists, owners of bee colonies, and phytotherapeutists repeat this. 
Use of wood
This material is different softness, lightness and bulkiness. It's easy to work with him. Inside, the wood is characterized by a clear yellow core. In older specimens, it becomes brown and hard. The sapwood is less durable compared to it. It contains a lot of moisture, which attracts fungi. As a result, this part of the tree is often loose.
In the timber industry, white poplar is processed for the manufacture of paper, pulp, turning and joinery, boards, plywood, parquet, lumber, building cladding, and packaging materials. 
In addition, the bark of the plant has also found its use. It is widely used to obtain yellow paint and leather tanning.
108
times already
helped
Crossing different types of poplars has allowed to obtain a significant number of hybrids. A forest dominated by poplars is called a poplar forest.
Please note that the genus Poplar belongs to the family willow: all trees and shrubs of this family are characterized high speed growth, so it makes sense to specially grow them on your site, especially in.
The poplar fruit is a box with small seeds, which are equipped with a bundle of hairs; when the poplar seeds scatter, the so-called “poplar fluff” is observed. When dispersing seeds "poplar fluff" in huge number is carried in the air and clogs everything around.
As a result, when using poplars in landscaping, it is recommended to exclude the planting of female specimens. At vegetative reproduction only male plants should be used.
In order for Poplar to reproduce on its own, I am going to plant several female specimens in order to observe them and their offspring.
In culture, male plants are used so as not to suffer from poplar fluff.
2. Black poplar or black poplar. Its features:
The root system is well developed: the roots penetrate deep into the ground and diverge for many meters in all directions.
The leaves and bark of this poplar species have phytoncidal properties. The phytoncides of this poplar destroy many microbes harmful to humans and, in addition, even protect apple and pear trees.
Propagated by seeds, stem cuttings and root offspring, but the seeds quickly lose their germination capacity, so they are planted soon after harvest.
3. Poplar pyramidalis, Italian or raina. Its features:
Height - up to 30 - 40 meters, width - 4 - 5 meters, trunk diameter - up to one meter. Life expectancy is up to three hundred years.
The root system is highly developed, extensive and deep, it has many long roots on the soil surface. The minimum level of groundwater is 4 meters.
Frost resistance - up to -28 ° C and below. Winter hardiness is average.
Grows very fast. Propagated by seeds, cuttings, root shoots and stumps. Seeds quickly lose their viability, so they are planted soon after harvest.
Enriches the air with phytoncides and kills pathogenic microbes. Wind resistant. Reduces noise, cleans the air from dust and gas.
In culture, mainly male specimens are used so that there is no poplar fluff.
This poplar is well suited for quickly creating green windbreaks.
I will plant several male specimens of these three types poplars and observe their survival and development.
In principle, all three main types of poplar should be suitable for creation. I will try to plant all three mentioned types of poplar.
Here is more information about Poplars:
The main types of Poplar, common in Russia
The demand for the main forest product, wood, is constantly growing. For this reason, measures are being taken to increase the productivity of plantations and reduce the time for growing marketable timber.
One of the ways to increase the productivity of plantations is mass breeding and the use of fast-growing species. Among them, the first place belongs to the poplar, which is called the "eucalyptus of the north" for its rapid growth and precocity.
Today in Russia, the area occupied by poplars is approximately 19.75 million hectares with a timber reserve of 2,614.81 million m3. In a number of regions, it is possible to successfully organize fast-growing poplar plantations that will allow growing large volumes of wood per unit area with an average annual increase of 30–40 m3/ha.
The solution of this problem is greatly facilitated by the fact that at present highly productive and valuable varieties of poplar have already been bred and widely cultivated.
In total, about 110 species of poplar grow in the world. On the territory of Russia - about 30, of which 12 species were imported from Europe, America, India and China. Many poplar hybrids have been bred. This culture has taken root in almost the entire territory of our country.
Some species, such as poplar, fragrant and laurel poplar, also grow beyond the Arctic Circle. Poplar is most widespread in the forest and forest-steppe zones, and in the steppe and semi-desert zones it grows only in floodplains and along the shores of lakes.
The genus of poplars is divided into four sections: turanga, black, white and balsam. Each species is distinguished by its inherent biological features and shows high energy growth only in certain soil and climatic conditions.
Taking into account the biological and ecological characteristics of poplar, the zones of its rational cultivation and use were determined, which are indicated in Table 1.
Table 1. The main types of poplar, common in Russia
So, for example, in the zone of coniferous-deciduous forests, it is advisable to plant crops that are resistant to rot: aspen, balsam poplar, hairy-fruited, Berlin, fragrant, white, black, gray and Petrovsky poplar. Canadian poplar, white, black, pyramidal, Bollean and laurel poplar take root better in the steppe.
There is also a large number of hybrid crops of poplar, bred to obtain the best forms of fast-growing species.
For the industrial cultivation of wood on special plantations and for obtaining biomass, the following varieties of poplar were bred: Gradezhsky, Tronko, Gulliver, Strelovidny, Keliberdinsky, etc.
Since 2000, 13 new breeding specimens of poplar, bred in Armenia, have been brought to the territory of Russia. The uniqueness of these poplar species was that in the shortest possible time their growth reached 13.5 m with a trunk diameter of up to 0.2 m and a total weight of about 100 kg.
Technology for growing fast-growing poplar plantations
In a number of countries, such as Italy, Germany, Argentina, Poland, etc., today it is widely practiced to create special plantations of fast-growing species of poplar and willow wood.
In northern India, plantings of fast-growing poplar and eucalyptus occupy approximately 50 to 60 thousand hectares. About 3.7 million tons of wood is harvested annually on such plantations, with a total value of $222 million.
Russia, which has vast areas of land unsuitable for Agriculture, can use them for new tree plantations, both for the purpose of increasing wood mass, and for restoring the agricultural value of planting areas.
Let us consider in more detail the technology of creating a poplar plantation. The main condition for obtaining a successful crop of poplars is the correct choice of areas for their cultivation, as well as the selection of species and varieties that are optimal in specific climatic conditions.
Selection work carried out by scientists from Russia, Sweden and America, aimed at breeding new tree species, gave the following result.
Cultures of all types and varieties of poplars take root well and have the greatest viability on deep fertile, mostly light or medium mechanical composition, well aerated soils with a neutral reaction (pH = 5.5 ... 8) and sufficient, but not stagnant moisture.
The most suitable are areas with flowing groundwater lying at a depth of 1-1.5 m and enriched with nutrients and lime.
Although poplar grows on poor and insufficiently moistened soils, its productivity is low. Therefore, when planning areas for poplar crops, it is necessary to conduct their preliminary survey.
The system of soil preparation, including the depth of plowing, depends on the mechanical composition of the soil and the degree of its sodding (the number of densely intertwined roots and rhizomes of plants in the soil).
On non-flooded areas of soil with strong sodding, soil preparation should be carried out according to the system of black or occupied fallow, and in case of weak sodding, by means of chilly plowing. The depth of plowing on soils of light mechanical composition is selected within 40–50 cm, and on heavier and denser soils - 50–60 cm.
The best planting material is annual rooted cuttings grown from winter stem cuttings, which are harvested on "uterine" plantations.
According to laboratory research According to Polish and Swedish scientists, cuttings kept during the winter in trenches, cellars, on ice or in snow have a 10-15% reduction in survival rate. In the future, they have less growth energy.
Permissible shrinkage of shoots without loss of quality should not exceed 2-3% of their mass in freshly harvested form. Cuttings with a top cut diameter of 0.8–1.5 cm and a length of 25–30 cm, harvested from the middle part of the shoot, have the highest survival rate.
When planting, the neck of the root should be buried 12-15 cm into the soil. In arid conditions, cutting seedlings to a stump 5–10 cm high immediately after planting has a good effect on increasing plant survival and growth. On the stump they leave one, the strongest shoot.
The timing and technique of planting are determined by the characteristics of the areas where the plantation is set up, as well as the type of plantation used. planting material. On non-flooded areas of soil, the best time for planting cuttings and rooted cuttings is early spring.
In early and long-term flooded areas, autumn planting of rooted cuttings is carried out. Cuttings are planted by forest planters in plow furrows. Large-sized rooted cuttings are planted in furrows or in pits with a depth of 40 cm to 2 m.
The density of poplar crops is determined primarily by their intended purpose and the biological characteristics of cultivated varieties. When growing trees that are used for harvesting small-sized assortments with a short felling age, dense placement of plants is taken - 2.5 × 2.5 or 3 × 3 m.
When growing large-sized assortments on a construction log, match or plywood logs, plants are placed less often - 4 × 4 or 6 × 6 m. The most appropriate is the square placement of plants over the area, which provides mechanized soil care in two mutually perpendicular directions.
In countries Western Europe the so-called plantation type of poplar farming has become widespread. When using this method, the cultivation of poplar wood is combined with the simultaneous use of wide row spacing for growing crops (wheat, rice, mustard, etc.).
In the northern part of India, with the plantation type of poplar farming, the annual profit from 0.405 hectares is from 326 to 652 dollars. The price fluctuates within the specified range, depending on the quality of the wood obtained, the productivity of the plantation and the selling price of the material.
This symbiosis of rural and forestry industries benefits both reforestation, reforestation, and farming by creating new jobs. At the same time, the cost of agricultural products is reduced due to the use of machinery operating on local biomass instead of purchased liquid fuel.
This principle is very effective and today it is already widely used in our climatic conditions.
In Sweden, on fast-growing energy plantations, the annual growth of a poplar tree reaches 1.5 m at an average density of up to 0.45 g/cm3 (Fig. 5). In America, this figure reaches 1.75 m with an average density of up to 0.49 g / cm3, and in Russia, the annual growth of a breeding tree can reach up to 1.9 m with an average density of up to 0.51 g / cm3.
One of the most important conditions for good growth and preservation of poplar culture is high-quality and timely soil care. Insufficient care leads to compaction and sodding of the soil and, as a result, to a sharp deterioration in tree growth. Therefore, as weeds appear, the soil must be loosened regularly.
In addition to cultivation, annual, autumn processing row spacing to a depth of 20–25 cm. This will ensure the accumulation of moisture in the soil and its good aeration. The multiplicity of departures is determined local conditions, but in the first 2-3 years after planting crops, it is necessary to carry out at least 3-4 cares during the growing season.
Significant impact on strengthening the growth of poplars and increasing their overall sustainability provides fertilizer, primarily nitrogen.
To grow high-quality knotless wood, it is also necessary to take care of the trunk. Pruning of branches on the trunks begins 2-3 years after planting. In thickened crops, thinning should not be delayed either. In all cases, it is necessary to carry out sanitary cuttings in a timely manner.
Weed wood, knots, etc. are crushed into chips ranging in size from 40 to 200 mm and are used as dry wood fuel for agricultural and forestry machinery operating on gas generator fuel.
The implementation of all these measures will ensure the rapid reconstruction of large volumes of marketable poplar wood.
Areas of application for poplar wood
One of the most important principles and directions of forest management in Russia is the full satisfaction of the growing needs of the timber processing industry in wood. Poplar wood has a multifaceted and versatile use.
In the pulp and paper industry
The optimal indicators of the suitability of wood for this type of production are: density, cellulose content, wood fiber dimensions.
The best is wood with a density of 0.3 to 0.6 g/cm3. The content of cellulose in poplar wood reaches 55–56% and is on average higher than in coniferous wood.
In terms of wood fiber size, poplar is significantly inferior to the best for this production. softwood− ate. The length of the wood fiber in poplar reaches 1.3-1.5 mm, and in spruce 2.5-2.8 mm, but the development of new technological processes for processing wood into pulp and paper have eliminated obstacles to the use of poplar wood.
At present, poplar wood is widely used for the production of cellulose, semi-cellulose and wood pulp; they are used to make paper and cardboard, as well as textile silk, staple, cellophane, cord fibers, etc.
In the chemical industry
Grape sugar is obtained by hydrolysis of cellulose, which, fermenting, gives ethyl (wine) alcohol - the feedstock for the production of synthetic rubber. From 1 ton of absolutely dry wood, 140-200 liters of wine alcohol are produced.
From 1 m3 of wood, 200 kg of cellulose is obtained, and 1500 m2 of silk fabric is made from it. The calculation shows that 1 m3 of wood in terms of output replaces a cotton crop from an area of 0.5 hectares or silk from 320,000 silkworm cocoons, or wool from 30 sheep per year. Viscose silk is much cheaper than natural silk.
From 1 m3 of wood, you can also get a roll of cellophane 6 km long and 1 m wide.
In construction
Poplar wood is widely used as a building and ornamental material. Building logs, beams, boards, roof trusses are harvested from poplar wood, ceiling beams, tes, etc. Farms use poplar wood for the construction of livestock farms and other premises.
in the furniture industry
The softness of wood and the ease of its processing, the ability to easily bend when steaming while maintaining the given shape when dried, the low price of products paved the way for the widespread use of poplar wood in the manufacture of furniture, chairs, upholstery, and countless household items. In addition, decorative veneer with a very original texture is made from poplar wood.
In the manufacture of lumber
Poplar wood is successfully used in the manufacture of chipboard and fiberboard. Each cubic meter of boards can replace 1.5–2 m3 of lumber in construction and furniture manufacturing, and 1 ton of fibreboard is equal in consumption to 6–7 m3 of first-class round timber.
Poplar wood is also used in the manufacture of plywood, which, when gluing mutually perpendicular sheets, is exceptionally strong.
As a substitute for non-ferrous metals
Wood processing by pressing and heat treatment opened a new field of application for poplar wood as a substitute for metals (especially expensive non-ferrous metals).
Improved wood is used to make bearings for machine tools of agricultural machines, silent gears, etc. Such parts are much lighter than metal ones and are not inferior to them in strength.
In match and plywood production
Poplar is the best material for the manufacture of match straws, as it is easily cut and gives a strong, easily impregnated straw with anti-smoldering compositions. Wood burns without soot. In addition, plywood with high physical and mechanical characteristics is produced from poplar wood.
When creating water-regulating, soil-protective and field-protective plantations
Poplars by enhanced transpiration of moisture (transpiration is the evaporation of excess moisture by the plant through the stomata of the leaves; due to transpiration, a flow of water and minerals dissolved in it from the roots to the leaves occurs) through the crown drain wetlands, protect irrigated fields from swamping, strengthen the banks of rivers.
Many species and varieties of poplars are now successfully used as the main breed in the creation of shelter belts in the steppe and forest-steppe regions, and aspen is assigned one of the main places in the afforestation of washed-out, waste lands, as well as ravines and waste heaps.
As a raw material fuel base for boilers and gas generators
Poplar woody biomass has high environmental performance of wood combustion technologies. Its widespread use instead of fossil fuels could significantly affect the reduction of the greenhouse effect on the planet.
Sawdust, bark, lumpy waste are used as fuel in boilers and gas generators for both industrial and private use, in small farms.
Poplar is an excellent fuel for agricultural machinery running on gas-generated fuel, which can significantly reduce emissions of exhaust gases into the atmosphere and improve the environmental friendliness of manufactured products.
Conclusions:
fast-growing poplar species growing on specialized plantations can fully meet the needs of the timber processing and furniture industry in high-quality wood material;
the use of high-quality planting material can significantly increase the productivity and quality of crops and plantations, reduce the time for growing wood of these species;
they contribute to the restoration of the ecosystem as a whole: they provide an opportunity for the reclamation of soils unsuitable for agriculture, the restoration of the microclimate of the forest, and the improvement of landscapes;
transport and harvesting facilities used in logging enterprises can be converted to fuel from woody biomass by equipping them with gas generators, which is due not only to a tough environmental policy (poplar wood, however, like any other type of wood, is a CO2-neutral type fuel), but also the economic feasibility of using local fuels;
the development of motor transport gas generating technologies will increase the energy security of Russia by organizing fuel supplies based on local renewable resources, improve the environmental situation in the state;
the creation of such plantations, in addition to the economic one, also has an important social aspect - it makes it possible to create new jobs and improve the quality of life of people.
Thus, Poplar can be widely used in Ecopark Z, so we will definitely grow Poplar in the energy forests of the Ecopark, and I will gradually think over and master the ways of using Poplars in the Ecopark as the Ecopark develops.
I invite everyone to speak in
Poplar belongs to the short-lived willow family. It is growing rapidly and has about 25 widows. Poplar grows from the Arctic to the subtropics - the Northern Hemisphere. Poplars are of medium and large sizes, their height is about 30 meters, the diameter of the trunk can reach 2.4 meters.
Poplar can be called the "tree of the city" or "the tree of stone julgley". Very often there are plantations of poplar that are familiar to the eye along the roads, and the period of its flowering never goes unnoticed (even the song sings about poplar fluff). In urban landscaping, poplar is used as a biological filter that absorbs various air pollutants into its cells.
Most people think that poplar is a tree that grows in their yard or along the road, but this name belongs to the genus of trees of the willow family and has about 100 species. The most common species are white poplar (silver), black poplar (black poplar), pyramidal poplar (Italian), and Canadian poplar. Poplar is distributed mainly in the Northern Hemisphere and is a forest-forming species. The durability of some species reaches 1000 years! Read about the lifespan of other trees in the article "age of trees".
Poplar is a sapwood. Poplar wood is soft, light, homogeneous, almost does not crack when dried. The texture has a pronounced pattern. Poplar is easy to cut, process and finish.
Poplar has low decay resistance and low physical and chemical properties, which is why its wood is somewhat limited in use.
Poplar is used in the production of paper and the match industry. In house carving and in furniture production, sedge is most often used, because. it has a nice texture.
Poplar wood grown in forests is used in the production of plywood and wood boards. Film faced plywood made from poplar and aspen is an efficient and cheap material for reusable formwork, which is used in monolithic concrete construction. Such plywood is made in China in large volumes.
Through the use of modern finishing materials, new adhesive systems and the development of technologies for glued wood products, some of the shortcomings characteristic of poplar wood come to "no". Abroad, glued poplar wood board is veneered natural veneer precious breeds and produce high-quality expensive furniture. In Russia, the experience of using poplar raw materials in the production of furniture and door blocks is still very small, but still, as they say, ahead.
Fascinating, inspiring, but thankless in its own way, the work of a forester. He will grow, nurture tender plants from a tiny, barely visible seed, transplant them carefully into well-cultivated soil and take care of them for many years, like little children. But will the time come when the pets will turn into mighty spreading oaks, into slender tall pines, majestic fir or ash trees? ..
Nearby, a farmer-farmer seems to have just sowed his field, diligently looked after the green shoots for a month or two, and now summer has not really established itself, and he, happy, is already walking among the golden waves of wheat, weighing in his palm full of life-giving juice grain.
After five - at most ten - years, the first crops of fruit trees are harvested by a gardener. But those who grow forests have never been spoiled by fate. Only with a tired senile gait, leaning on a stick, is it given to them to walk under the crowns of the grown forests, and harvesting the forest harvest is the work of sons, and even grandchildren. Therefore, for a long time, foresters have harbored a cherished dream: to grow not one, but many generations of forest for human life, not one, but several times to rejoice at the results of their many years of work.
It seemed like a fruitless dream. But then the October Revolution broke out, and what was considered unrealizable began to be realized before our eyes. The unprecedented pace of development of our country unexpectedly gave the entire army of foresters such a powerful and reliable ally as the national economy. The ally turned out to be demanding and inexorable: he released huge funds, armed with the most modern and perfect technology and provided an unlimited area, obliging the dreamers to get down to business and grow forests faster, especially in the European part of our country, which had long been inhabited and fairly deforested in the past. But forests are growing, as they were centuries ago, and the consumption of their wealth by industry and construction has increased a hundredfold and continues to grow rapidly. How to be here?
For a long time (and, perhaps, they are still breaking) the foresters have been racking their brains over the realization of a former dream, which suddenly turned into an urgent need. Others offered to "take a course" on the famous champions rapid growth- eucalyptus trees (we will talk about them later), others were looking for a solution to the problem in the agricultural technology of forest cultivation, in growth stimulants, in fertilizers.
Those who turned their hopes to folk trees groped for the gold-bearing forest vein. Oddly enough, but such a name was given by botanists in the past to low-value, and from the point of view of foresters, simply weedy species of trees - poplars.
It turns out that trees have unusual fates. Such, for example, breeds as oak, ash, spruce, maple, have long enjoyed universal respect. They are respectfully treated in natural forests, lovingly grown in forest nurseries or forest cultures (as foresters call young artificial forests), connoisseurs speak with admiration about their wood. And poplars have always grown "on their own", without much attention and without any worries about their fate.
True, people have long noticed the unusual speed of their growth, large size, admired their beauty, willingly planted them on dams or the banks of ponds and reservoirs, streets and roads. By the way, poplars were used in landscaping cities not only because of their rapid growth, but also because of their unpretentiousness, as well as the ability to easily propagate by cuttings. I planted a small 30-centimeter poplar cutting in the spring, and by autumn without special care this is already a two- or even three-meter tree. How not to plant such a plant? After all, in subsequent years, it will almost not slow down the growth rate. And a few years will pass, and in front of you is a large shady tree.
There are few places where you will not find poplar now, and with it, complaints about its "fluff". Often at the beginning of summer you can hear the irritated exclamations of passers-by:
Those poplars again!
Many unflattering epithets are given to the address of the poplar, but it is not the trees that should be scolded, but those who did not bother to plant poplars instead of poplars. After all, this plant is dioecious, having male and female specimens. They bloom at the same time, in early spring, even before the leaves bloom. The reddish catkins of male poplars, having scattered the pollen, fall off without causing special trouble people, while the yellow-green catkins of poplars, after pollination with poplar pollen, form ovaries, from which green boxes of poplar fruits develop within one and a half to two months. These fruits open at the beginning of summer and scatter billions of small seeds equipped with parachutes. The ability of poplars to disperse their offspring far is precisely the reason for so many complaints. But the Greeks in ancient times knew this property of poplars and therefore lined the squares of people's meetings and the central streets only with masculine specimens.
Botanists borrowed the scientific name of poplars from the ancient Greeks - "populus" - folk! So, poplars, mentioned here both with a good and an unkind word, for a long time occupied only the townspeople (city departments of green construction). But the foresters treated them with at least indifference. What self-respecting practitioner could grow a poplar or, say, aspen forest in the past (botanists also refer to aspen as a genus of poplars)! After all, they have been considered forest weeds for centuries. Why, rightly reasoned foresters, loose, low-quality wood of these plants is suitable? Something, of course, can be made from it, but where is it up to such, say, species as oak, walnut, beech? ..
However, times have changed - the attitude towards the poplar genus has also changed. With the development of omnipotent chemistry, the woodworking industry gained heroic strength. She, speaking without exaggeration, mastered the methods of amazing transformations. Our scientists have developed simple and cheap ways to convert "bad" poplar wood into strong, like oak or boxwood, beautiful, like glorified Walnut or bereka, moreover, it is quite resistant to the eternal enemy - rotting.
So fate smiled on the poplar, and on the aspen too: they now not only took a place of honor next to their former happy rivals, but also attracted the main attention to themselves in forest-poor areas. Now you can’t find a forester who would be somewhere in the Kuban, Ukraine, or even in middle lane countries would neglect poplars, would not grow them with all diligence.
After all, what a speed! And if there are no other shortcomings, this is not a weed, but a miracle ...
A great contribution was made to the science and practice of growing this tree by Soviet forest breeders. Here are the numerous pets of the creator of northern poplars, Academician Yablokov. Here are the slender poplars of his selection: Pioneer, Michurinets, Russian, here they are not inferior to them in growth rate, but original with their leaves - Podmoskovny, Ivanteevsky, Soviet pyramidal, here is the poplar Maxim Gorky lovingly named after the great Russian writer.
Promising hybrids of poplars were also obtained by Academician A. V. Albensky. Particularly noteworthy is the seedling selected among the heritage of the English breeder Professor O. Henry, bequeathed by him to the Soviet Union. This unusually fast growing poplar hybrid is called red-nervous.
Of interest are the hybrids of the selection of Professor F. L. Shchepotyev (for example, Veselobokovenkovsky poplar, Sukachev's aspen), Professor P. A. Bogdanov (Leningrad poplar and others). Thousands of crosses had to be made, tens of thousands of hybrid seedlings grown and culled before valuable promising forms were selected. Many years of creative thought and labor have taken these dozens of new varieties away from our scientists. But what a future lies ahead for their offspring! New valuable varieties of poplar are emerging on a wide front on a vast forest field.
True, nature does not remain indebted to scientists either. She tirelessly creates, taking advantage of the relatively easy interbreeding of poplars, more and more new varieties. To date, more than 110 species of them have been studied by botanists in the temperate zone of the globe. And varieties and hybrid forms are not even easy to take into account: a lot of them are found in almost every forestry. Now the fastest growing and most resistant natural hybrids are selected annually. Many of them have already been bred in different regions of the Russian Federation, in particular in sparsely forested regions in the south of the country.
Here, for example, Canadian poplar. This is a descendant of an American resettled to us, who repeatedly married our poplars and turned into a complex and many-sided natural hybrid. Like the best hybrids, created by science, in the first year of planting in forest belts it is able to protect the field from hot winds and droughts, at 7-8 years old it can already produce the first ornamental wood, and by 15-20 years old its best plantations accumulate as much wood as an oak or pine forest only to the age of one hundred. That's where the reserves fast growing wood! That's when the opportunity presented itself to satisfy the hundredfold increase in demand for valuable wood and at the same time fulfill the cherished dream of foresters. Not several harvests throughout life, but annually collected by the Kharkov forestry scientist Fedor Pavlenko. The method he developed for using annual poplar tree branches for paper production is a new page in the creative search of foresters and in the now happy fate of poplar trees.
Characteristics and properties of poplar
- Description: has about 30 species;
- Color: white with a yellowish tint;
- Hardness: soft;
- Affiliation: deciduous;
- Strength: low;
- Texture: white sapwood and light brown heartwood, beautiful flat cuts are present in the butt;
- Wear resistance: low;
- The weight: light;
- Density: low;
- Treatment: very easily and well cut, prone to rotting, fungal attack, unstable to split from impact;
- Region of growth: Russia, CIS countries, Europe;
- Application: wooden shovels, troughs, dugouts, plywood, veneer, expensive furniture lining.