New Hybrid Poplar
Demonstration
Center
When the vigorous growth characteristics of
hybrid poplar (cottonwood) trees were demonstrated by the University of
Washington/Washington State University, paper companies took notice. When Oregon
State University released its economic analysis showing the potential of hybrid
poplars to be more profitable for growers than many current field crops, farmers
began to rethink their resource allocations. When bankers offered to structure
case-by-case landowner assistance contracts, investors knew / the poplar market
was established. Poplar plantations have moved past the experimental phase into
a viable and dependable crop.
Futurists
have combined the economic potential of hybrid poplars in the wood products
industry with the societal needs for alternative wood and wood fiber resources,
soil building and erosion control, carbon dioxide capture, waste water treatment
and other concerns that can be directly impacted through poplar culture.
Now Broadacres Nursery, Inc. of Hubbard, OR,
has shown hybrid poplar has a place among premium products in the building
materials industry. Broadacres has built the first poplar demonstration center
in the western United States. Ninety-eight percent of the materials used in the
new 1,500 square foot headquarters building are poplar and poplar by-products.
Clear finished trim and window casings milled from several of poplar varieties
show color and grain characteristics. Cabinetry created using birch-faced poplar
plywood shows the characteristic cottonwood ability to hold its shape without
warping. Wall cut-outs enable the visitor to see the poplar post and bean
construction of the first floor and the engineered poplar joists on the second
floor. Three different framing techniques were used to show the flexibility of
poplar in building applications.
The Hubbard Poplar Demonstration Project
required nine months to complete. It also required the cooperation of local
contractors, craftspeople and suppliers from across the United States. Trus
Joist MacMillan, Boise, ID, manufactured the Timber/strand TM structural framing
materials at their Minnesota facility. They also assisted the Ethells in
engineering the structural specifications. Mt. Baker Plywood Company,
Bellingham, WA, provided the cabinet grade plywood. Potlatch Corporation,
Lewiston, ID supplied the logs that became finish moldings. K-Ply Wood Products
Company, Port Angeles, WA manufactured the structural plywood used in the
project. Key Bank of Oregon provided construction financing for the entire
project. Finished costs came in at a competitive $60.00 per square foot. Noting
the efficiency of using the engineered wood products, Sandra Ethell said, "All
the scrap lumber left over after the project was finished would fit in the trunk
of a car."
Craftspeople working on the project added
their perceptions of the benefits they saw in working with the poplar products.
Jerry Van Gorkum, AABCO Plumbing, Keizer, OR said they were "easier to drill."
Carpenter Brad Nowak, Donald, OR who handled the framing said, "You don't have
to crown structural members and its easier to toenail." Columbia Woodworking,
Woodburn, OR commented on the stability of the cabinet
grade
plywood. Dary Breshears at Columbia Molding and Millwork, Tigard, OR reported
that the poplar materials were as good or better than any of the other materials
they are running through their mill. Ray Ethell, who stayed close to the entire
construction project added that they "found no tearing, fuzzing or chipping" in
the preparation of moldings and, "no pre-drilling was needed to prevent
splitting when nailing."
Beyond applications already developed in the
paper industry, this demonstration project moves the hybrid poplar past old
perceptions of the poplar as a "junk tree." The poplar materials were easy to
work with due to their dimensional stability, light weight and low rate of
defects. Ray Ethell described the experience as "interesting and educational."
He added, laughing, "I needed a bigger office anyway." The project also showed
that poplar wood products can have a major role in the forest products industry
of the future.
While the poplar requires an ample water
supply and more initial management than traditional forest species, the
potential for poplar products is enormous. Potlatch Corporation's 22,000 acre
hybrid poplar program is already scheduled to provide 700 tons of wood chips per
day to its Lewiston, ID pulp mill, replacing dwindling supplies from traditional
sources. Additional significant poplar planting and development has also been
done by Georgia-Pacific, James River, Boise-Cascade, MacMillan-Bloedel, and
others.
For more information:
Columbia Pacific RC&D at
www.colpac.org/hybrid.html
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