Fastest Growing Tree in the World

[Banjo picker]

I have a small log at the mill now that was given me.  A buddy of mine makes and flyes the small planes and wants me to saw it up for him to build some of his scale planes with....  It is very light for its size.  Banjo

[etroup10]

I work at a wood shavings mill and have often wondered how this tree would do there. Since we can take logs down to 6" in diameter, you could get a crop pretty quick. Usually anything soft like aspen, poplar, white pine makes great shavings, except for basswood because it's too stringy. Anyone have any insight on this?

[whiskers]

It's 4 or 5 years old, 9"dbh and crooked as a dog's hind leg. To the left of the sprout there's a 44" shovel. Poston, bring a bucket and the sprout is yours. I'll take pictures whilst you dig it out. ;D


 

[reswire]

My farm is full of these darn trees.  They grow like weeds, and take over an idle field like wildfire.  If you feel the need to saw one, just come to this part of Virginia, the buggers are everywhere.  I wish I could sell the lumber, I'd be worth a small fortune in no time..... :-\

[Southside]

Ianab,

Is there a better way to grow them into logs?  Are a lot of the ones grown out in the open crooked?  Just wondering how they would do in a silvopasture setup, I am always looking for ways to get shade into the pastures.  If I remember correctly they will re-grow from the stump pretty quickly. 

[Ianab]

One of the growing techniques was to let the sapling grow for a couple of years, then cut it off near ground level. It would then sprout again from the stump, and because you now have an established root system the new shoot would grow 10-16ft in the next year, without branching or having the growing tip knocked out by frost. What it does after that doesn't matter so much, you have your straight butt log.

Planting them a bit denser and then taking out the extras would also encourage that initial straight growth.  You can see in Dr Buck's picture how the tree is open grown, not very straight, and heavily branched and spreading.

My farm is full of these darn trees.  They grow like weeds, and take over an idle field like wildfire.  If you feel the need to saw one, just come to this part of Virginia, the buggers are everywhere.  I wish I could sell the lumber, I'd be worth a small fortune in no time

It's all about marketing.  ;) Bundle up 6 decent planks, call it a wooden surfboard kit, and charge $300 for it.
http://www.woodsurfboardsupply.com/wood.html

[SwampDonkey]

I'm glad I got some stories from you guys about this tree. I had NEVER heard of it at all.

Oh, but there is quite a few stories and threads on this forum about this 'gold mine'. :D Let us know when someone makes their first $ million. ;D

[Dave Shepard]

SwampDonkey, if they start with 5 million, it shouldn't take them long to get it down to 1. ;)

[mad murdock]

Pauwlonia or Royal Empress has definitely been declared an invasive in some states. Might check with your local county or state forestry office before you get accused of spreading a weed. I think that like Ianab said, with proper cultivation and the right soil/climate, it could be possible to have a resource for niche markets.

[reswire]

I've got hundreds of them that are growing straight as an arrow, and are probably 25+ feet high.  They are growing along the road (next to my fence line) and are very thick with little room between them.  I suppose they are competing for light, that's why they grow so tall and straight.  They are only about 4+ inches in diameter, but the ones that are 12- 16 inches in diameter are less crowded, and of course not as straight.  I wouldn't plant them, until I knew there was a market for them.  They are a nuisance for sure, and grow anywhere.  Especially where you don't want them.... :-\

[GAB]

SwampDonkey, if they start with 5 million, it shouldn't take them long to get it down to 1. ;)

Ah-Yup that's farming for you.
Gerald

[WDH]

I wouldn't mess with them  .

[POSTON WIDEHEAD]

I wouldn't mess with them  .

I did bring home a cookie from sawing that log.....don't know what I'll use it for though. :

[WDH]

"For one cookie today, I will give you two on Tuesday". 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?list=RDNJ6xBaZ92uA&v=xfF_2FjsFDE

[POSTON WIDEHEAD]

"For one cookie today, I will give you two on Tuesday". 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?list=RDNJ6xBaZ92uA&v=xfF_2FjsFDE

That video, which I remember Whimpy......looks like me eating them burgers you grill using your secret smoking technics with the scraps you get off your shop floor.  :D :D :D

[Mooseherder]

I wouldn't mess with them  .

I did bring home a cookie from sawing that log.....don't know what I'll use it for though. :

You could use it as a saucer for your water dish.   That way it's not directly on the ground. :D

[POSTON WIDEHEAD]

 :D

[Sixacresand]

It is beautiful grained wood, especially when "just sawed". 

 

[kevin19343]

 Years ago a guy from my town was arrested for stealing Pawlonians from local parks and peoples yards. He was selling them for a small fortune back then, even the branches. Now they are pretty much worthless.

We have some on our farm that I'm considering cutting down. They are considered nuisance trees .

[davidlarson]

At a forum/conference I attended recently, the NC state foresters called these trees a non-native invasive species, undesirable, and they advised us to destroy them as weeds.  I had one growing as a volunteer in my yard, and it took several cuttings to kill it.  You can see many growing along the I-40 interstate highway around Asheville, NC as it winds its way through the national forest there, and it is clearly spreading.  Identification is easy - very big leaves, dramatic purple flowers in the spring, and large seed pods.  Like many non-native invasive species (think kudzu), it is hard to see how it could be eliminated now.
David L.