Big Trees
4/1/08 - 4th Day - Mid Afternoon. Hey y'all. Well, today I went into town with Logan Ante to pick up some supplies and plants, etc. and some wood for some bookshelves he is building. I also got my tobacco seeds in the mail today. Yesterday I received my Paulownia Tree seeds in, and I planted about 25 of them in peat pellets this afternoon. I have a Paulownia I bought last year and I didn't take care of it and it died to the ground, but this year it is coming up and it is already about 5 inches tall. I have heard of them growing 10-12 feet or more the first year. I haven't read of anybody starting them as seeds, but I figured I'd give it a try.
I can't give any endorsement to the Paulownia yet, but my studies have led me to believe that this tree could be the perfect homesteading/woodlot tree. If someone out there has experience growing and harvesting Paulownia, let me know. Paulownia is extremely fast growing; some species of the tree can be harvested for hardwood timber in as little as five years. When the tree is harvested or cut off at the ground, they regenerate from their root system and can usually be harvested again in 5-10 years. So a Paulownia woodlot is self-regenerating, and sustainable. Paulownia are grown widely in China a very similar environment and climate to ours, because it provides large amounts of hardwood, and it is able to reclaim stressed, overused, or ecologically damaged areas of land very quickly. Its roots break up the soil, and its huge leaves provide large amounts of organic material to the soil. The Chinese use Paulownias to reclaim huge areas that have been strip mined or clear cut for timber. A huge Paulownia forest with trees over 50 feet tall can be found in these areas within 5-10 years of them being planted.
The leaves of the Paulownia provide good fodder for animals and cattle, and when, and when they degrade on the ground they replenish and provide good content for new soils. The tree can grow up to 18 feet in the first year, but 10-12 feet is a good expectation. Most folks say that if you want the trees for wood, you should cut them off at the ground after the first year of growth, but it is not absolutely necessary. The information is sometimes contradictory. One article I read said NOT to cut the trees down, because if you do not you will end up with a straighter tree. I don't know yet, but I hope to find out. Harvest for wood can happen at 5 years, but at 12 years you will have a huge tree with a bunch of board feet. When you chop the tree off at the ground, it grows back quickly because of the developed root system, sometimes hitting 30 feet the first year after coppicing. One article I read suggested harvesting your first harvest at 5 years, then chopping them down (in rotation) every 10 years after that. I found a place that sells the seeds, and I ordered 150 seeds which I will try to grow in seed pots and larger pots for planting next year.
I'll let you know how it goes.
So yesterday it was 90 degrees and about 51% humidity, then we woke up to temps in the high 40's this morning, and cold and windy today.
Danielle is canning bacon and getting the freezers prepared for two more hogs to get butchered next week.
Hope all is well with you all,
Michael
I can't give any endorsement to the Paulownia yet, but my studies have led me to believe that this tree could be the perfect homesteading/woodlot tree. If someone out there has experience growing and harvesting Paulownia, let me know. Paulownia is extremely fast growing; some species of the tree can be harvested for hardwood timber in as little as five years. When the tree is harvested or cut off at the ground, they regenerate from their root system and can usually be harvested again in 5-10 years. So a Paulownia woodlot is self-regenerating, and sustainable. Paulownia are grown widely in China a very similar environment and climate to ours, because it provides large amounts of hardwood, and it is able to reclaim stressed, overused, or ecologically damaged areas of land very quickly. Its roots break up the soil, and its huge leaves provide large amounts of organic material to the soil. The Chinese use Paulownias to reclaim huge areas that have been strip mined or clear cut for timber. A huge Paulownia forest with trees over 50 feet tall can be found in these areas within 5-10 years of them being planted.
The leaves of the Paulownia provide good fodder for animals and cattle, and when, and when they degrade on the ground they replenish and provide good content for new soils. The tree can grow up to 18 feet in the first year, but 10-12 feet is a good expectation. Most folks say that if you want the trees for wood, you should cut them off at the ground after the first year of growth, but it is not absolutely necessary. The information is sometimes contradictory. One article I read said NOT to cut the trees down, because if you do not you will end up with a straighter tree. I don't know yet, but I hope to find out. Harvest for wood can happen at 5 years, but at 12 years you will have a huge tree with a bunch of board feet. When you chop the tree off at the ground, it grows back quickly because of the developed root system, sometimes hitting 30 feet the first year after coppicing. One article I read suggested harvesting your first harvest at 5 years, then chopping them down (in rotation) every 10 years after that. I found a place that sells the seeds, and I ordered 150 seeds which I will try to grow in seed pots and larger pots for planting next year.
I'll let you know how it goes.
So yesterday it was 90 degrees and about 51% humidity, then we woke up to temps in the high 40's this morning, and cold and windy today.
Danielle is canning bacon and getting the freezers prepared for two more hogs to get butchered next week.
Hope all is well with you all,
Michael
posted by Michael Bunker at 4/01/2008 10:24:00 AM
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