Newsletter No. 8 December 2025
Posted on December 16, 2025
Hard to believe another year has whizzed by. 2025 has been a year marked with climate volatility and extremes. High-intensity rainfall events continue, this year hitting Tasman. Poplar and willow remain irreplaceable for critical river and erosion control functions.
Things to think about over the summer:
- check previous plantings. Re-ram to avoid loose poles and weed around any rooted cuttings.
- map erosion risk sites for next planting
- plan next winter’s planting programme - number of poles needed, cultivar, order with Council nursery along with sleeves
The NZ Poplar Research Trust would like to wish all our readers the merriest of Christmases. The office will shut down from 19 December to 5 January, but feel free to leave a message/email and will get to it as soon as we can.
NZPWRT welcomes Susan Kilsby
We are delighted to welcome Susan to NZPWRT board. Susan brings with her a wealth of experience across New Zealand’s primary sectors, combining on-farm insight with national-level economic analysis.
She grew up on a dairy farm in Taranaki, and today farms a small sheep and beef property in the Wairarapa, giving her firsthand understanding of the day-to-day realities and long-term financial pressures facing rural businesses.
Professionally, Susan has held senior analyst roles with NZX, ANZ, Ambreed and MPI. With this blend of practical farming, economic research and a deep understanding of both farm-level and international market forces, Susan is exceptionally well-placed to help guide NZPWRT’s strategy.
Research in Action: Digging out poplar root systems
How do we know why poplar root systems are the best choice for erosion management on hill pasture farms? The answer is hard work by scientists. Behind the tables and graphs showing poplars have a greater root mass and length than native trees and shrubs and most other exotic trees (Newsletter No. 3 August 2024 - NZ Poplar & Willow Trust) is hard physical labour.
To provide some insight and appreciation of the hard work involved in root studies see the photos. These photos show research lead by Ian McIvor and Grant Douglas with support by an international team of postgrads from Massey University. The team of 12 from Hong Kong, Vietnam, Tonga, Iran, Kenya, and Tanzania dug for 9 days on a north facing hillslope at Carter farm Makino, Feilding to excavate the roots of four 16 year old Veronese poplar trees. The team enjoyed the camaraderie involved and the achievement of providing such difficult to obtain data, but it was hard work!
Excavation site
Some of the team in action digging
Part of the dig showing the size and spread of poplar roots
Fit4Site
It was great to be able to launch our four new Fit4Site App at the NZARM conference in Blenheim, November 2025.
Fit4Site is a site-assessment tool, designed to help farmers, landowners, nursery managers and advisers to evaluate what cultivar of poplar or willow to plant.
The aim is to empower evidence-based planting decisions, based on site attributes and needs of the tree. In doing this it also enables the user to gain knowledge and understanding.
Where to start?
- download the QR code (if you don’t have Survey 123, can ‘open in browser’
- you can ‘continue without signing in’
- identify the key purpose(s) for the planting
- identify where in the landscape they will be planted
- identify site characteristic(s)
- any pests to be concerned with?
- is bee pollen relevant (if tick this you will get more willow selections)
- suckering is generally only a concern if in an ungrazed environment
- Cultivars will be given a ranking. Orange cultivars are those we have less research data on. The top 5-8 are what is most suited
- We highly recommend that you check out the factsheets provided on cultivars before making a selection. This may also include talking to the local advisors at Council and checking if you are able to source material.
- Having a number of cultivars in one selection is advised - this provides diversity, reduces risk and improves aesthetics.
- If you want a report, provide your email and your selection will be sent to you
NZPWRT together in the Wairarapa
The Board of the NZ Poplar and Willow Research Trust and our Technical Advisory Group (TAG) met in mid-November in the Wairarapa, bringing trustees, researchers and regional partners together to review the year’s progress, consider emerging challenges, and shape research and extension priorities for 2026 and beyond.
The TAG provides an opportunity for river and land managers within councils to connect and discuss how programmes are working, findings of research and trials, input into NZPWRT strategy, annual research programmes and sharing of information.
The field trip saw us head out to Longbush and Te Parae. We saw a range of poplars and willows planted for erosion control. Guy Williams is an Ambassador for NZPWRT and shared with us his journey on the 850ha property, where he runs sheep, beef and deer. Starting with a blank canvas on loess soils, over the last 20 years active planting has transformed the property. Despite the plantings of poplar and willow, they have lost no stock units, instead the trees are seen as beneficial providing shade and shelter and fodder in droughts.
“Genetics - sheep, beef, dear, pasture. We are not using the same genetics that we were using years ago. Everything has improved. Same with poplar and willow”
Guy Williams, Te Parae
Group at Guy Williams' property
Rewanui Poplar and Willow Demonstration Site
The Rewanui property, owned by the Montfort Trimble Foundation as a Forest Farm dedicated to public afforestation, has long served as a multipurpose landscape for timber production, native bush protection, grazing, and trial plantings. In 2025, a new opportunity was taken to establish a dedicated soil conservation and public demonstration block focused on poplar and willow performance across vulnerable hill slopes.
Rewanui spans 334 hectares and includes large areas of protected native forest, radiata pine woodlots, grazing land, experimental species blocks, and new native wetland and slope plantings. While most grazing occurs on terrace flats, one 32-hectare steep hill paddock has historically shown signs of erosion. Damage from Cyclone Gabrielle further highlighted the need for soil conservation interventions, leading to the establishment of the new demonstration site.
The chosen planting area sits on the basal slopes of greywacke steepland soils—an environment prone to slip and soil-creep erosion. The design aims to both stabilise these slopes and showcase the growth, form, and comparative performance of a selection of commercially used poplar clones and a willow clone.
A total of 90 poles were planted, representing eight poplar clones and one willow clone:
Poplar clones: Crowsnest, Fraser, Shinsei, Otahuao, Veronese, Braaksma, Kawa, and Weraiti
Willow clone: Tangoio
Each clone was colour-coded for identification, and the layout was arranged in two vertical batches ascending from wetter, more fertile basal soils to thinner, drier upper slopes. Poles were set at recommended spacings of 10–15 metres to reflect best-practice soil conservation design.
Planting took place on 6 August, using graded 3-metre poles. An auger was used to create 90-centimetre holes before poles were driven to depth, with topsoil firmly rammed back around them for stability. Although spring conditions were dry, additional ramming for pole tightness was carried out in October. Rainfall in November supported strong emergence and early growth.
As of the latest assessment, the demonstration block has achieved 100% survival, with all poles showing healthy stem growth. The site will be managed through form-pruning to maintain a single, upright leader and to encourage strong, uniform development. Over time, some stems may be pruned to 7 metres to support potential future timber value.
Located just 200 metres from the Rewanui Lane carpark on the Exotic Loop track, the demonstration site is easily accessible to visitors. It offers a clear, practical example of how poplar and willow plantings can stabilise vulnerable slopes while allowing observers to compare the performance of different clones.
This new block strengthens Rewanui’s role as an educational and research resource for soil conservation, forestry, and sustainable hill-country management. As the trees establish, the site will provide valuable insights into clonal responses to slope, soil depth, moisture, and exposure—supporting landowners, councils, and community groups interested in effective erosion-control planting.
Showcasing … Otahuao (poplar)
‘Otahauo’ is a Populus deltoides x p. nigra hybrid, first released in 1993. It was named after Otahuao Block in Wairarapa, farmed by the Bennetts in the 19th and 20th century. The hill Otahuao can be seen as travel between Masterton and Castlepoint. The hill is referred to locally as “Bennett’s Hill”
‘Otahauo’ have medium sized leaves that are green, with deltoid/obtrullate shape with serrated edges. Also has green midrib and petiole.
‘Otahuao’ has smoother bark than other P. euramericana hybrids, as shown below right. Distinctive ‘v’ shape under branchlets. It has a medium size crown, heavy stem and can have a few heavy branches. It is female.
It has good wind and drought tolerance, particularly good for soil conservation in eastern regions. It is susceptible to rust, but less than varieties ‘Dudley’ and ‘Selwyn’. It is possum palatable. See the Factsheet for more information.
Workshops coming to a place near you…
Train the trainer workshops are coming to Top of the South (March) and Tairāwhiti (1-2 April). Thanks to support from Te Uru Rākau, these will be delivered for free to predominantly a range of professional staff including council, consultants, forestry advisors, catchment co-ordinators. Predominant focus is on land management but will include some river management understanding.
These workshops will be limited to 25. Priority given to those that reside in those areas.
Are you passionate about poplars and willows?
NZPWRT are looking for more Ambassadors
The NZPWRT is inviting expressions of interest from people keen to support the wider adoption of poplars and willows on New Zealand farms. We are seeking volunteers — or nominations of others — to join our network of Poplar and Willow Ambassadors.
Ambassadors play an important role in supporting Regional Council and Unitary Authorities efforts to help farmers integrate poplars and willows into their farm plans. They help ensure farmers have easy access to practical, trusted information on tree selection, planting, and ongoing management.
This voluntary role is ideal for people with hands-on experience using poplars and willows for erosion control, fodder, farm system resilience, and their role in forestry. Ambassadors offer farmers a valuable second opinion, sharing their own knowledge of effective planting techniques, clone performance, and tree management. Their enthusiasm and real-world insight complement the technical expertise of Land Management Advisors, who provide access to research findings, local clone performance knowledge, and guidance on funding and policy.
Ambassadors are most effective in their own region or district, where their experience is directly relevant to local conditions. All Ambassadors will be listed on the NZ Poplar and Willow Research Trust website, along with their region and contact details. To see a list of current Ambassadors check out the link.
The Trust supports Ambassadors with key messages, resource packs, farmer guides, videos, and presentation material — ensuring they have everything needed to assist others confidently.
If you’re passionate about the role poplars and willows play in sustainable farming — or know someone who is — we’d love to hear from you.
For further information contact Sally Lee at 0274-924751 or info@poplarandwillow.org.nz