SRF Poplar

• Very fast growth and high yields possible in a very short timescale.
• Possible to produce a lot of stem wood that is easy to harvest and process with conventional machinery.
• Light wood that doesn't splinter that can be peeled and used as a veneer in a wide range of applications e.g. food packaging.

• Apart from biomass, there are few outlets for poplar wood in the UK.
• The logs are not considered a high quality woodfuel (burn quickly).
• For best results the trees should be pruned to 5m.

SRF poplar typically will reach 15m within 8 years.

Poplar will thrive in slightly acidic and alkali soils; however, optimum growth is observed between pH 6.0-8.0.

SRF is cut down to the base from year 8 onwards. The plants will typically produce several shoots. A new single stem tree can be produced if you prune all but one leading stem. This can be done for three cycles before replanting.

Main risks are from disease and pests. Using mixed clonal plantations of varieties with a wide genetic background reduces this risk significantly.

• Biomass fuel
• Biomass fuel
• Food packaging
• Furniture
• Pallets

SRF poplar is planted usually by hand using 1.4 m rods. Around 30 cm is pushed into the ground. The stocking rate used is usually 1,666 plant per hectare. Plantations of wider spaced trees (400 per hectare planted a 5m x 5 m spacings) are left for 20 years.