Thursday, January 29, 2015

Paulownia general information

Paulownia trees are useful for many things including livestock fodder production, biomass and lumber and paper pulp production.  In natural environments, it acts as a pioneer or nurse species, providing cover for slower growing trees in disturbed areas when a forest is establishing.  It grows quickly and recovers easily in most environments, regenerating from it's root system to produce a robust tree after a fire or other destructive event.  In fact, one method that is commonly used to produce large, straight trunks for lumber processing is to coppice the tree, or chop it down to the crown, during the first three years of growth so that the stump can produce a trunk of at least 8 feet during the first year.



Intercropping paulownia species is becoming more common, as they provide shade for plants that don't prefer direct sun while mitigating risk by offering alternative income sources.

European markets currently offer processed paulownia lumber for $14-28 per cubic foot.  The value of the lumber can vary depending on the speed that the trees are allowed to grow.  The faster that the tree is allowed to grow, the lower the density of the wood, which results in a lower quality lumber.  Paulownia lumber is lightweight and has moderate structural integrity, making it useful for many things.  It is also rot and insect resistant and dries without a kiln in the open air.  Silica content of the wood is variable and can have a dulling effect on cutting tools.

Bark, branches and leaves can be pelletized for biomass energy production, or used as livestock fodder.  Some sources claim that biomass energy production has the possibility of being the most profitable use for paulownia plantations.  Current energy prices are low because of the proliferation of cheap petroleum on the markets, but that doesn't mean that it will stay low.

References:

No comments:

Post a Comment