Environmental benefits of poplar culture

Abstract

Poplars have important values above and beyond wood or fiber production. Poplars have been planted for environmental purposes for centuries. There are reports of poplar plantings dating back to early Chinese history and biblical times in the Middle East, When immigrants came to North America in the 18th and 19th century, they often brought cuttings of their favorite poplar to plant on their newfound land or garden in the New World. Thus, the long history of planting poplars in the Old World was preserved and continued in the New World. J.E. Rogers (1906) wrote about the merits of planting cottonwood (Populus deltoides) - "it can be planted for shade and ornament, for windbreaks and to hold banks of streams - it endures heat and soot, and has dignity with added years." Because the early settlers were mostly agrarian, they often planted native cottonwoods for wind and snow protection of their farmsteads and animals as well as to decrease soil and wind erosion; but there were also a significant number of linear plantings of poplars in cities for protection, visual screens, and aesthetics.

Citation

Isebrands, J. G.; Karnosky., D.F. 2001. Environmental benefits of poplar culture. In: Dickmann, D.I.; Isebrands, J.G.; Eckenwalder, J.E.; Richardson, J., eds. Poplar Culture in North America. Ontario, Canada: NRC Research Press: 207-218