Published: April 24, 2008 12:37 pm      

A poplar plan | Somerset Conservation District to plant 1 million trees

By Amanda Deal

AmeriCorps member

A new concept is taking root at the Somerset Conservation District. A program called “One Million Trees” is being pursued, in which 1 million hybrid poplar trees will be planted on previously strip-mined lands over a period of 10 years.

When the trees reach maturity in seven to 10 years, they can be harvested on a yearly rotation to provide a local source of alternative, renewable energy.

Funding for the initial phase of the program has been secured through the state Department of Environmental Protection. Additional state and federal funding is being sought.

Hybrid poplars, propagated from stem cuttings, can grow to a height of 60 feet in as little as six years. One tree can produce four to 10 dry tons of wood per year. Hybrid poplars also consume large amounts of nutrients. As part of the “One Million Trees” program, soil amendments will be applied to the nutrient-poor soils where the trees will be planted.

Development of the program could generate additional local jobs and help reduce our dependence on foreign oil.

Wood from hybrid poplars and other waste wood from our forests can be used in wood-pellet plants or power plants interested in co-firing with wood.

The staff of the Somerset Conservation District is taking its show on the road to educate others about the benefits of growing hybrid poplars and how its “One Million Trees” program will positively affect our local area.

The district bioenergy initiative will also be featured during Outdoor Heritage Month. This local celebration reconnects our communities to the rich natural heritage of the Allegheny Mountains as part of a global effort to con-nect volunteers with service opportunities to join forces for the preservation and improvement of the local environment.

A two-day Outdoor Heritage educational event was held at Summer’s Best Two Weeks camp at the Quemahoning Reservoir that will conclude Outdoor Heritage Month.

Students and educators explored and developed solutions to some of the most pressing challenges of our day.

To engage and educate participants about the benefits of hybrid poplars and the “One Million Trees” program, Amanda Deal, AmeriCorps member at the Somerset Conservation District, and her colleagues from the Somerset Conservation District performed a song Deal wrote especially for the event.

“It started out as a bunch of conservationists carrying on, but turned out to be a brilliant educational tool,” Deal said.

The song tells the story of hybrid poplar trees from their humble beginnings as “live stakes” to their destiny as a source of green energy.