FRDA Report: Black Cottonwood and Balsam Poplar Managers ...

In northern British
Columbia and in
Alberta, most attention
has focused on aspen for
woodlots. Earlier studies
found that woodlots are
not likely to be viable
ventures by themselves,
but that in conjunction
with existing farm
operations they offer
some possibilities.
4.8 Cottonwood–Balsam Poplar Features of Importance to the
Private Woodlot Manager
• Broadleaf woodlots have good capacity to renew themselves and to increase
tree growth and quality of forest products through intensive forest
management.
• Woodlots can be managed on a multiple-use basis to meet a variety of
landowner objectives and also contribute to industrial and societal needs.
Interest in private woodlots across Canada is growing. Collectively, private
woodlots represent 9% of Canada’s forest land base and owners across the country
number about 420 000. Most woodlots occur east of Manitoba, but woodlot associations
have grown quickly during the past few years in Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and British
Columbia. In 1988, the Canadian Federation of Woodlot Owners was formed. Apart
from the income derived from wood for sale, woodlots can also provide firewood for
the owner’s use as well as opportunities to enhance wildlife, recreation, and conservation.
The Poplar Farms Division of MacMillan Bloedel Ltd. is a recent example of active
promotion of short-rotation intensive culture of hybrid poplars on both the company’s
private land and in cooperation with other interested landowners. For the small private
landowner, the shared benefits of producing commercial poplar under agricultural
conditions include: use and improvement of marginal agricultural land; keeping of land
in agricultural production, thereby protecting the integrity of rural communities;
opportunities for innovative land stewardship; and provision of alternative crop choices
and income opportunities for farmers. The systematic planting of poplars on suitable
farmland sites can, in many cases, improve land by draining and levelling it, breaking
up the subsoil, and building up the organic matter. The intensive agricultural approach
recommended for hybrid poplar farms typically includes fencing, subsoiling, weeding
for the first 2 or 3 years of the rotation, pruning, and fertilizing
MacMillan Bloedel’s current plan is to establish poplar farms on about 7000 ha,
half of it leased from local farmers and other landowners. Prime candidates for such
poplar production include alluvial sites on river floodplains, moist but well-drained upland
sites that have available groundwater through the growing season, and other highly
productive sites where rapid regrowth of brush species makes it difficult to manage
other crops.
At present, MacMillan Bloedel offers interested landowners two management
options. One is a lease program in which the company leases the land and manages the
crop. The landowners can opt for direct lease revenue or may supplement that revenue
by doing some of the work, such as weeding. Alternatively, a landowner assistance
program is available in which the company provides planting stock and management
expertise. The landowner carries the cost of establishing and maintaining the poplar
farm, receiving revenue when the crop is harvested. As of summer 1995, about
20␣ landowners were involved in these programs.
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