Poplar Demonstration - watch out for it!

Posted on February 12, 2020

The purpose: to show the features of different hybrid poplar clones being bred in New Zealand for soil stabilisation, shelter, shade, riverbank protection, timber, and carbon credits.

The location: signposted on State Highway 1 between Utiku and Taihape. The site is ~ 100 m from the road in clear view. Look out for it on your travels.

Plates 1-4. Views of the sign and planted poplars. Rows run up the hill.

Establishment: Poles (3 m) were planted using an augur, and protected with Dynex sleeves. Cattle were excluded with a solar-powered electric 2 wire fence. The poplar trees were planted in winter 2017 in rows extending up the slope, one clone per row, with spacing between rows of 10 m and within rows of 7 m.

The hybrid poplar clones:

Table 1. The 16 clones (cultivars) listed below in the demonstration. Rows are numbered south to north.

Row (S to N)	Clone	Name	Number
1	NZ5026	P. deltoides x ciliata ‘Rotorangi’	7
2	07-06-007	P. trichocarpa x nigra Blanc de Garonne	10
3	07-04-005	P. trichocarpa x nigra Vert de Garonne	10
4	NZ5006	P. deltoides × yunnanensis ‘Kawa’	10
5	PN870	P. ×euramericana ‘Veronese’	10
6	NZ5020	P. ×euramericana ‘Otahuao’	10
7	NZ5032	P. nigra x maximowiczii ‘Shinsei’	10
8	NZ5036	P. maximowiczii x nigra ‘Pecam’	10
9	NZ5035	P. maximowiczii x nigra ‘Mapiu’	10
10	NZ5007	P xeuramericana x yunnanensis ‘Toa’	10
11	NZ5017	P. ×euramericana ‘Fraser’	10
12	NZ5018	P. ×euramericana ‘Weraiti’	10
13	NZ5025	P. deltoides x ciliata ‘Kaimai’	10
14	07-05-103	P. maximowiczii × trichocarpa	10
15	07-02-086	P. maximowiczii × trichocarpa	10
16	NZ5010	P. xeuramericana x nigra ‘Crowsnest’	10

Management:

2019 Dead trees were replaced
2020 Trees are pruned to a single leader

Data:

Figure 1. Mean height of the 16 poplar clones to year 6

Figure 2. Mean diameter at breast height (1.4m) of the 16 poplar clones to year 6

See the photos at age 2 years.

Poplar Demonstration - watch out for it!

The hybrid poplar clones:

Management:

Data:

Supported by: