Poplars, which can grow 12 feet a year and mature in four years, are a sustainable resource for materials and energy.

SHORT-ROTATION WOODY CROPS
Poplar

Because of their rapid growth, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) considers poplars, like cottonwoods and aspens, to be leading candidates for tree farms that can provide sustainable sources of materials and energy.

Product Pipeline

Funded by a DOE grant, we have a joint research project with Oregon State University to examine compositional traits in poplars, including their ability to sequester atmospheric carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas.


	Hybrids produce 3 to 6 times more wood per acre per year than natural forests	Comprised of 60+% cellulose and hemicellulose
	Genome is well-understood.	Can be harvested on 5- to 15-year cycles and often re-grow from the roots and trunks

Our work is also looking at how to partition carbon into specific portions of the plant, such as roots, and into types of natural plant compounds that are highly resistant to breakdown in the environment.

Poplars are considered the model for tree biotechnology and genomics. The results of this program will have application in other energy crops.

SHORT-ROTATION WOODY CROPS Poplar

Product Pipeline

SHORT-ROTATION WOODY CROPS
Poplar