The Poplar and Willow Trust seeks to develop the most effective poplar and willow varieties to hold hill country soils in place and improve water quality
The protection of water quality is a major environmental problem and non-point source agricultural pollution is an important contributor to decline in water quality in New Zealand rivers and streams.
Soil erosion and farm runoff results in damage to farm infrastructure loss of productive soils, nutrient loss into waterways
Planting of poplars and willows plays an important role in rectifying these issues
A pole is a young tree stem between one and three metres long, which roots and sprouts when planted in the ground; this gives it a ‘head start’, so it is less likely to be damaged by browsing animals.
Afforestation with pines, or reversion to indigenous scrub, are not the only options for dealing with erosion prone land.
Much erodible hill country can be stabilised and sustained as farmland by planting poles into pastoral areas.
To get the best long term production from hill country, management systems are needed to reduce the risk of slips
Best achieve this by space planting poplars, willows or other deciduous hardwood trees on slopes steeper than 15 to 20 degrees, at a planting rate of 100 trees a hectare.