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Contribution of Poplars and Willows To Sustainable

Poplars and willows are grown in over 70 countries and cover over 80 million hectares globally. They provide wood, non-wood products, and ecosystem services. Poplars and willows play an important role in sustainable forestry and rural development by providing employment, products for small farmers, and helping to remediate polluted soils and restore fragile ecosystems.

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86 views1 page

Contribution of Poplars and Willows To Sustainable

Poplars and willows are grown in over 70 countries and cover over 80 million hectares globally. They provide wood, non-wood products, and ecosystem services. Poplars and willows play an important role in sustainable forestry and rural development by providing employment, products for small farmers, and helping to remediate polluted soils and restore fragile ecosystems.

Uploaded by

joshua lara
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Contribution of poplars and willows to sustainable


forestry and rural development
J. Ball, J. Carle and A. Del Lungo

A
Status and trends in the cultivation, n estimated 70 countries grow the South American Andes. They are
management and use of poplars poplars and willows in mixtures easy to cultivate and form an important
and willows, based on reports with other natural forest spe- component of forestry and agricultural
from member countries of the cies, in planted forests and as individual systems, often for small-scale farmers.
International Poplar Commission. trees in the landscape (including agro- They provide a wide range of wood prod-
forestry systems). Country reports to the ucts (including industrial roundwood
International Poplar Commission (IPC) and poles, pulp and paper, reconstituted
in 2004 indicated that their area exceeds boards, plywood, veneer, sawn timber,
80 million hectares globally. The Rus- packing crates, pallets and furniture),
sian Federation, Canada and the United non-wood products (fodder, fuelwood)
States have the largest reported areas of and services (shelter, shade and protec-
naturally occurring poplar and willows, tion of soil, water, crops, livestock and
while China, India and Pakistan have the dwellings). Poplars and willows have an
largest planted areas. important role in phytoremediation (i.e.
Native to the temperate and subtropical taking up heavy metals to purify polluted
zones, trees and shrubs of Salicaceae soils) of degraded sites, rehabilitation of
– which include poplars (Populus spp.) fragile ecosystems (including combating
and willows (Salix spp.) – are fast grow- desertification) and forest landscape res-
ing and easy to propagate vegetatively. toration. They are often integrated with
Many of the species are adapted to a agriculture, horticulture, viticulture and
wide range of climatic and soil con- apiculture. Because of their rapid growth
ditions, from the heat of the Chinese they are effective for carbon sequestra-
desert to the cold, windy conditions of tion. They provide employment oppor-

Salicaceae (Populus alba and Salix


babylonica) planted to shelter a remote
government outpost at around 3 000 m in
the Andes of Argentina; at this altitude they
are the only trees that will grow, and the
protection they offer from wind makes the
community livable

Jim Ball and Alberto Del Lungo are


consultants to FAO, Rome.
Jim Carle is Senior Forestry Officer
(Plantations and Protection) in the
Forest Resources Division, FAO
J. Carle

Forestry Department, Rome.

Unasylva 221, Vol. 56, 2005

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