In 1997, BED joined forces with the Salix Consortium to participate in a multi-state biomass plantation project. Since that time, BED foresters have planted a test plot of more than 5,000 hybrid willow trees in Burlington near the McNeil Generation Station. The purpose of the test plot is to enhance research conducted by the Consortium during the past 10 years regarding growth, pest resistance, and soil and nutrient requirements of these plantings. The Vermont planting is evaluating the performance of various willow clones in soil and climate conditions different from those studied in New York.

The quick-growing trees are harvested every three years. After the first growing season when the trees are dormant, BED foresters cut them back to stumps as a way to encourage the sprouting of multiple stems that boost growth. Three years later, the willows can be harvested. The first harvest was conducted in November 2000. The yield was about 35 tons per acre.

The trees can grow in soils that are not otherwise used for farming and may prove to one day be an alternative crop for idle farm land. The trees can also be planted along stream banks and act as filters for nutrients and loose soil that cause water quality problems in Vermont's rivers and lakes.

Perhaps the most exciting possibility for BED and its foresters is the potential for the trees to be used as an alternative fuel for energy production to supplement the use of recycled wood and harvest residues. 

For more information on the biomass crop experiment, please call BED Chief Forester Bill Kropelin at 802-865-7484.

Legal Notices and Terms of Use