Populiculture

The populiculture is the name given to various kinds of culture of the artificial settlements of poplars. Their manager is known as Populiculteur.

The control of the artificial settlements of Poplar S ( Populus sp. ) is with the fringe of the Agriculture and the Sylviculture. To dope their growth, they are sometimes planted on a ground prepared by a subsoil plow and/or a ploughing, sometimes with spreading of manure and drainage with techniques evoking agriculture more that sylviculture. Their facility of plantation, their rapid growth, combined with a natural affinity for Biotope S very wet, but not-marshy, do of them one of the gasolines most cultivated in France, Belgium and in the Netherlands and in many old Wetlands. They can however under these conditions being sensitive to the diseases, the storms and the drynesses.

Two principal dies:

In production of wood-material , the revolution (period ranging between the plantation and demolition) of the poplar is generally was formerly of about fifty year. With new the Clone S and Hybride S selected for their productivity it tends to approach the score of year, even 15 years, but these trees are often sensitive to various diseases of which the Rouille.
Les outlets is the manufacture of light packing and of the Contreplaqué, the paper mill and manufactures it boards particle, the largest balls being used for the manufacture of platings. It is one of the rare gasolines which the same owner can plant and collect during his existence, even several times in its existence.

With the development of the die Wood energy, the research organizations were interested in control of the poplar in TCR (Taillis with short rotation, 6 to 8 years) and TTCR (coppice very short rotation, 2 to 3 years). Collected thanks to a Ensileuse adapted, the poplar plantation is crushed finely for its production of biomass. Given up because of a low profitability and competition of the Willow, the blaze of the cost of energy could start again the tests on this mode of control which is not specific to the poplar besides. It presents however the disadvantage of exhausting the ground and of supporting the attacks of certain mushrooms or insects to which the high-output poplars are vulnerable.

Experiments of clarification sludge spreadings on populiculture are led in various countries.

Poplar and environment

The poplar plantation is often presented as prejudicial to the mediums where it settles, not so much because of the poplar itself than owing to the fact that it is led there in monocultures équiennes (of the same age), and often with clones under conditions unfavorable to the expression of diversity. Moreover it was often used in accompaniment of the drainage of the wetlands or to fold back the tablecloths there, which is also unfavourable with the biodiversity. The natural poplar plantations exist and one a potential of expression in periphery of many wetlands, but the wild poplars are themselves become rare in most of their areas of origin in Europe and Asia. It is the case of the black Peuplier in the north of the France and in for example.

The poplar is the surlaquelle gasoline the transgénèse was tested and whose genome (very complex and large) was studied the most.
Des poplars GMO was created and is tested since ten years for example to produce less Lignine, to secrete a Insecticide (LT), to resist a selective Weeding, to even push in zone Aride, especially in North America. An experimentation is led in France by INRA close to Angers… These experiments are very discussed, in particular for their genetics position risks in the normal poplars.

In France

The poplar plantation is very developed in France, in particular in the areas rich in wetlands and in the north of Paris (Picardy, Nord/Pas-de-Calais Area). In all the areas the poplar plantation is unequally distributed according to the cantons and departments. Thus in north the poplar plantations covered with the beginning of the year 2000 approximately 18.000 hectares is close to twice the size of the largest regional forest (Forêt of Mormal), but with a fluctuating rate (nearly 0% in the Dunkirk one, for 1,3% in the Northern and 0,7% in the Pas-de-Calais, according to the investigation Rural-SAEB ERAKAT, 2002).

See too

External bonds

Communicated INRA on the die wood-energy
Poplars of France

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