#44 The potential of fast growing biomass trees in agroforestry systems with Michael Weitz

2022-08-25

Michael Weitz is a European expert in fast growing biomass trees, with a special passion for Poplar. These fast growing crops are especially interesting for agroforestry systems thanks to their early returns and their capacity to produce ecosystem services early on. Furthermore, the need to find alternatives to fossil fuels and sustainable building materials is leading to evolving economic opportunities for farmers. In this interview we are hitting the nail on the head when it comes to integrating valuable tree crops on our farms! Michael has the ability to zoom into the technical details and zoom out to the bigger picture questions around biomass crops. Enjoy learning about the flexibility and beauty of poplar as well as the challenges that need to be overcome to scale these systems. This is hopefully the first of many interviews on the topic of fast growing trees!

TABLE OF CONTENTS

02:41 Introduction

09:24 Biomass crops

16:45 Poplar industry and market

22:57 Flexibility of the poplar crop

29:28 Medium term cycle poplar for agroforestry

34:56 Which cycle to optimise biomass production

37:20 Management requirements

45:00 What is the minimum scale for economic viability?

53:46 Favouring medium cycle on a small scale

57:24 Planting on marginal land

01:06:58 Shouldn’t agricultural land stay dedicated to food production instead of biomass production?