Environmental
Uses for Poplars
Wastewater
Hybrid
poplar trees are being used to reuse municipal and industrial wastewater.
The trees have been proven to effectively clean the water and often provide a
cheaper alternative than building additional treatment facilities.
Poplar trees utilized for wastewater reuse in many instances will pay for
themselves at harvest when the wood fiber is used for lumber, paper or fuel for
bioenergy. Broadacres consults with many utilities and small communities
throughout the west to recommend appropriate poplar varieties and management
techniques and to insure that their specific poplar planting is accomplishing
the reuse goals and meeting state and federal requirements.
Carbon Sequestration
Poplars are
among the fastest growing tree species in North America. They are capable
of accumulating enormous amounts of wood and biomass in a relatively short
period of time. With proper care and selection of appropriate
varieties, poplars can also sequester enormous amounts of carbon dioxide in a
short period of time. Wood products manufactured from poplar trees
can make this sequestration permanent. Poplars for this reason
have received considerable attention as a potential tool to help combat global
warming. Broadacres Nursery received a grant from the Department of Energy
in 1999 to study the sequestration of carbon by hybrid poplar trees in the
Pacific Northwest. The project entails determining the amount of land available
for poplar production in Idaho, Oregon, and Washington and estimating the amount
of carbon that could be potentially sequestered in all of the different regions.
Biological issues addressed include screening and selecting poplar clones for
growth, wood density and lignin content, and understanding processes of below
ground carbon movement and storage. We hope to eventually establish a
basis for which poplar growers can be credited for the amount of carbon their
plantations are accumulating and document the chain of custody for a variety of
products made from poplars.
Phytoremediation
Poplars are
being used to clean contaminated soil and ground water from wide range of
contaminants including petroleum hydrocarbons, chlorinated solvents, metals,
pesticides, explosives and excessive nutrients. There are often
significant cost savings associated with using poplars to clean up
contaminants over traditional methods. Phytoremediation
with poplars, however, cannot be used for all contaminants under all conditions.
Broadacres Nursery consults closely with engineering companies and
phytoremediation firms to insure that poplars can grow under the existing site
conditions and that the best poplar variety is selected for the site to insure
that the trees are growing at their full potential. A
common contaminant problem where poplars are being employed is for the cleanup
of trichloroethylene or TCE plumes in groundwater. A single
poplar tree can filter up to 25 gallons of water per day under good growing
conditions.
Steam Bank Restoration
Poplars are often planted along streams in
agricultural and urban areas to stabilize banks, provide shade and filter
runoff. Rapidly growing hybrid poplars can provide a quick source of
shade along stream banks to lower water temperatures and aid in the
establishment of shade tolerant native plants along riparian areas.
Broadacres has been working with the RC&D’s throughout the northwest to help
provide native and hybrid poplars to farmers who want to plant their
stream banks and help restore the water quality.
Back
to Contents
