Poplar Trees Planted By Chinese Farmers To Protect Crops In Gansu Province.

The poplar tree is fast growing and can grow quite tall very quickly and thus is chosen for planting to form a windbreak. Chinese farmers in Gansu Province planted poplar tree to protect their crops growing in desert like conditions. The Black Poplar is usually chosen for such purposes because it has an erect growing characteristic, that reduces the shade area cast by the tree. There are a number of varieties of the poplar tree including, the White Poplar, the Grey Poplar, and the Black Poplar, which are deciduous. The poplar trees might serve a useful purpose in the wide open agricultural land, but such trees are not ideally planted in gardens, because of their invasive root system. The planting of poplar trees near houses should be avoided, as the root system is quite likely to wander into the foundations and drainage pipes, causing damage and blockage.

The wood of the poplar tree has many uses such as for the manufacture of paper. Hybrid poplars fast growing in plantations are cropped for pulpwood for this purpose. The white wood, sometimes with a slight yellow tint is also used for pallets, plywood, and matches. If you are into snowboarding, then it is quite likely that the wood of poplar trees was used in your snowboard, because it is quite flexible. Some of the most famous paintings originating in Italy, including the Mona Lisa, are painted on poplar wood.

''''' Poplar Trees
There has been some interest in using poplar as an energy crop for biofuel, particuarly in light of its high energy in - energy out ratio, large carbon mitigation potential and fast growth. Poplar wood also, particularly when seasoned, makes a good hearth for a bow drill. It was picked as the material for the bones of "Buster", the crash test dummy used in the TV show MythBusters, after some experiments revealed that it fractures under approximately the same loads as human bone. Poplar is sometimes used in the bodies of electric guitars and drums. Src: Wikipedia.com. '''''