Objectives:

• Growth and adaptability screening of six poplar clones and two hybrid poplar clone mixes under operational plantation conditions on good agricultural land.
• To determine the suitability of Kootenay River valley soils and climate for growing of hybrid poplar trees for solid wood and chip products.
• To provide a demonstration of hybrid poplar plantation culture for Creston area farmland owners.

Experimental Design:

Eight genetic entries were planted as 64-tree square plots in a randomized complete block design with three blocks. The blocks were aligned so as to sample an obvious soil moisture gradient in a field thought to be representative of most soil and soil moisture conditions found on the 750 hectare farm. 45 cm unrooted cuttings were stuck on a 3 m x 3 m grid in early May 1996. Blocks are two plots wide by four plots long with the long axis in an approximate N-S orientation. Shortly after planting (approximately three weeks) plastic brush mats were installed (1 m²) over cuttings to slow herbaceous vegetation growth. A shallow cultivation (via a tractor drawn cultivator) between tree rows was done twice during the 1996 season to eliminate weed competition and meadow vole habitat.

History:

Growing of hybrid poplars on agricultural soils using intensive farming methods to produce short rotation wood crops has become very popular in Washington and Oregon in the last 10 years. More recently, Scott Paper and MacMillan Bloedel have begun short rotation intensive culture (S.R.I.C.) of hybrid poplars in the lower Fraser River Valley and on the east side of Vancouver island respectively. The Kootenay River valley near Creston appears to have a favorable combination of soils, soil moisture, growing season length and heat sums so as to be capable of supporting good tree growth.

• 1996 - project established and vegetation control
• 1997 - annual measurements and condition evaluation
• 1998 - annual measurements and condition evaluation
• 1999 - annual measurements and condition evaluation

Status: Active.

Reports and Publications: None

Comments:

The J.H. Huscroft family of Creston (a sawmilling family) has a keen interest in growing wood crops on a part of their 750 hectare bottomland farm. We (Ministry of Forests, Research Branch) have decided to install this trial in cooperation with the Huscrofts to test the S.R.I.C. concept in the Kootenay River Valley.