We had a major wind storm a couple years ago followed by Sandy. I lost about 5 acres of trees white oak, ash, sweet gum and white cedar I would like to replant it. I live in southern NJ. The ground goes from swamp to high well drained soil rather quickly. I'm hoping to grow some firewood that I can use in my lifetime. I saw this hybrid poplar. Is it worth it? It would basically be the same amount of work to cut split and stack as oak and get less btu/acre. Does hybrid poplar spread like weeds? The plot is right next to my hay field that I fight with wild cherry trying to keep it out. Thanks
What to plant?
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I don't know about hybrid poplar but I think they were bred for the paper and biofuel industries.
I don't know your age, but if I were in your shoes I'd be thinking about trees for my kids or grandkids.
Here in Missouri a lot of people plant multi-purpose trees. Things like walnut or pecan. Depending on your timetable, maybe a fast growing softwood, or a slower growing hard-core firewood tree like black locust or osage orange.
I don't know your age, but if I were in your shoes I'd be thinking about trees for my kids or grandkids.
Here in Missouri a lot of people plant multi-purpose trees. Things like walnut or pecan. Depending on your timetable, maybe a fast growing softwood, or a slower growing hard-core firewood tree like black locust or osage orange.
As I understand it, there isn't a single species of hybrid poplar, but a group of them that have been bred for different climates and purposes. The kind grown out here for pulp really do bulk up fast, though. I've heard claims that a home could be heated with a single acre of hybrid poplars on a permanent rotation, with modest harvest sizes achieved by 5 years, but the strategy sounded marginal at best. 2-3 acres and starting serious harvesting (other than thinning) in 10 years could probably do it easily.
However, I'd rather have a mix of trees that not only provides firewood, but a nice place to walk through and watch for wildlife. Besides, I think poplar prefers the wetter lowland areas, and other trees will do better on the higher spots on your property.
You'll probably get more total BTU per acre than oak, but have to process a much higher volume of wood to get it because of the low density of poplar.
So maybe you could plant an acre or two in hybrid poplars to get your firewood off to a faster start, but the rest in a mix of the sort that was there before?
As far as weed-like nature - at 10-20 years old, they should be producing only relatively small seed crops. I also don't think their seeds, which are small and as a result don't provide much nutrients to the sprout, compete well against other plants, even grasses.
However, I'd rather have a mix of trees that not only provides firewood, but a nice place to walk through and watch for wildlife. Besides, I think poplar prefers the wetter lowland areas, and other trees will do better on the higher spots on your property.
You'll probably get more total BTU per acre than oak, but have to process a much higher volume of wood to get it because of the low density of poplar.
So maybe you could plant an acre or two in hybrid poplars to get your firewood off to a faster start, but the rest in a mix of the sort that was there before?
As far as weed-like nature - at 10-20 years old, they should be producing only relatively small seed crops. I also don't think their seeds, which are small and as a result don't provide much nutrients to the sprout, compete well against other plants, even grasses.
I'll be 40 in a couple of years. So if I "invest" in something like holly
maybe holly or English walnut. lumber prices are around $40 bf. I'm almost 40 so the grandkids if I'm blessed might get a few years of college out of it. Unless things get worse in the next 40 years. If the tree huggers get their way and fine wood becomes taboo.
All the trees uprooted so it's a mess. I still have a summers work ahead of me cleaning up the massive holes. Any seedlings that are popping up are being mowed by the deer so it it a little difficult to determine what they are. I plan on buying saplings in the 3'-4' range and caging them.
Any idea on density of the planting to make enough btu/acre? I did think about mixing ornamentals in there most of the area is across a hay field right in view of my kitchen windows. Wildlife is pretty abundant. There are also large patches of blowdown all over the farm and it's getting worse from all the water laying in the root holes. The water is softening all the soil so more trees are falling. With the crazy weather we've been having its making a lot more wind than normal years it's a nasty cycle.
I was even thinking giant sequoia trees for the real wet areas. They seem to grow ok here from what I've read. Money isn't really an issue since the state will likely pick up about 2/3 of the cost. I guess it's like a blank canvas. Does anyone remember the painter Bob Ross on pbs?"A happy little tree right here". Getting off topic I was thinking firewood because that's what I've been focusing on lately. I'm definitely open to any and all suggestions.
Oldman47
Minister of Fire
English walnuts are fast growing trees with huge annual growth rings. I took one off at the ground about 25 years ago and the sprouts that came from the cut off are now a tree that is about 20 inches dbh and around 30 feet tall. It flowers every year but the squirrels really like those nuts so they never ripen before they are gone. I live in a housing development so controlling the squirrel population is not an option for me. The tree I took off at the ground was around 15 years old and was over a foot in diameter but had been severely wind damaged. I took it off because it was dangerous in my yard.
Holly would be a good money choice like you said because of the crazy high board foot price. Im gonna talk out my ass here for a second because I don't really have the experience with holly BUT my only concern would be pruning the holly to get a long straight trunk without a lot of branches. The only holly I ever see here in south jersey has a million small branches and wouldn't be good for hobby wood.
Maybe look into that before planting holly.
Maybe look into that before planting holly.
Im in delmarva, very similar ground conditions as you describe... Drying up now, but almost standing water 3-4 weeks ago...
As you probably know, American Holly thrives in those conditions. It grows fast, and it resprouts from its stump when cut. Its a very quick drying wood, and is very high on the BTU chart. I have several with 20-24" trunks.
It is a pain with all of the branches, but the cut off easily.
Its also a profitable wood, very sought after in the wood workers market... One of the highest paying per board foot, as its super dense.
As you probably know, American Holly thrives in those conditions. It grows fast, and it resprouts from its stump when cut. Its a very quick drying wood, and is very high on the BTU chart. I have several with 20-24" trunks.
It is a pain with all of the branches, but the cut off easily.
Its also a profitable wood, very sought after in the wood workers market... One of the highest paying per board foot, as its super dense.
It depends on species. I think in my region, timberlands are frequently planted on an 8x8 to 10x10 grid (douglas fir or other pine family members), then thinned at around 15-20 years (resulting wood gets used for fence posts, hogfuel, etc) to an average of 16 x 16 or wider. Sometimes there is a second thinning depending on the hoped for final average size, with final harvest targeted for 40-60 years. The tight spacing encourages the trees to put on height preferentially to girth, and shed their lower branches, which helps increase the percentage of clear wood. They start bulking up more after thinning, but still tend more towards height than diameter. The thinning also generates a little bit of intermediate revenue (or firewood) during the long growing cycle.
Similar density would probably work well for hybrid poplar. There's probably been some extension service research that can be dug up on ideal planting and thinning strategies for them.
This kind of management results in a very darkly shadowed floor with almost no undergrowth, and little appeal to wildlife. This bothers some people, but I tell them to keep in mind the land where this is done is private farmland, not true forests. The land owners are trying to maximize wood value, and this reduces the demand for harvesting from real forests. Publicly owned timberland is managed to retain more characteristics of a forest, including wider spacing, and leaving some trees standing after cutting.
I don't think sequoias do well in saturated soil. Also, they're probably not best for a woodlot because they do best with lots of sunlight. Maybe on the edge of your woodlot though. I do find them to be a very attractive tree, and in good conditions they grow fast and put on a lot of girth.
White ash might do well in the wetter areas. Willows love wet soil, but I don't think most wood burners are fond of them.
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