Poplar wood: a booming crop of great environmental value and multiple applications.

Poplar, or poplar, as it is known in agriculture, is a species native to the Iberian Peninsula. Commercial planting in the Vega del Genil in Granada began in the second half of the 19th century. What was the only possible use of the flooded riverbanks began to plummet two decades ago due to the collapse of wood prices and competition from vegetables.

Two thirds of the planted area was lost. Now, this trend has turned around and the Marjal Chopo group, recently created with 73 members and 1,400 hectares, is leading the return of this crop.

The European Life: Wood for the Future project aims to promote poplar cultivation in the Vega de Granada, with the dual purpose of contributing to the fight against climate change, improving the environment and at the same time promoting local economic development with the implementation of a profitable and innovative industry focused on wood for bio-construction. Building Engineering of the University of Granada is one of the partners.

The unrolling of plywood, traditionally used for packing fruit in wooden crates, is being left behind.

The industrial standardization of the variety is one of the most demanding items of the project and serves to quantify the mechanical qualities of the wood. This requires certified seedlings, purchased from registered nurseries that also provide a phytosanitary guarantee.

The Life project will invest 3 million euros. The Junta participates through IFAPA, which researches with clones to improve plant varieties. Adaptation to water scarcity is the main objective of the study.

In this crop, the fundamental task each year is good pruning to avoid knots in the wood, as well as the irrigation calendar and pest prevention. Felling means 10-year seasons. And that is in Granada, thanks to its climate, in Castilla-León you have to wait fifteen years to cut. This long seasonality of the poplar tree requires significant investments. It requires the poplar grower to have a certain financial muscle.

The desire to recover the poplar groves of Granada transcends the economic benefit. Populus groves are a real green lung that cools the temperature of the environment. The species has an enormous capacity to sequester CO2 from the atmosphere due to its accelerated growth. Its specimens are effective purifiers of agricultural nitrates, prevent erosion and are the niche of a great biodiversity.