fast growing trees

[Anonymous Poster]

I'm in the market for some fast growing trees. I've done some searching on the web and found a couple of places that sell hybrid poplar trees. They are supposed to grow over 8 feet per year. Another one I found is the ameri-willow. Does anyone have any experience with any of these trees or other fast growing trees? The web sites I found these at are:

http://www.hybridpoplars.com/index.html
and
http://www.cdr3.com/nursery/nursery.htm

 

[RobS]

Danny, you might also try Musser Forests. They have Hybrid Poplars in both windbreak and shade variants. A friend planted some and yes, they do grow extremely fast.

Rob

 

[Anonymous Poster]

Danny,

Another fast growing tree is the Paulonia (Powlonia?) or "Empress" tree. Supposedly the "fastest'. Also available as a super-variant "cloned" tree. Do a websearch.

Fine Woodworking magazine had an article about uses/value a few years back.

I have some data somewhere...if I run across it, I'll post more...may be quite a while.

HTH,
Larry

 

[TWINKLE_TOES]

Danny,

The best tree for one area may not be the one for your area. I would check with a local arborist. If your thinking evergreen then Laurel is a real quick grower, Hemlock does pretty well also. Bamboo will win hands down on any I know, but soon most people who plant it are trying to figure out how to unplant it./w3tcompact/icons/frown.gif

 

[keitho]

Danny,

I have alot of planting I would like to do on my property also, and during my research I was told by various people that Sycamore trees grow very fast. But I live in West Central Florida so I have no idea if that would apply to your area.
Let us know what trees you find, because that would certainly be helpful for me.

Keith

 

[Thomas]

Danny,
Be careful of poplar trees for there roots system like to feed near the top of the ground compare to the hardwood trees also a soft wood,and soft ground and high wind bad combo.
Willow root system like wet ground,and there darn roots seem to pop up and hard to mowe around,also they drop alot of branches and are a soft wood tree.
The trees you mention do indeed grow fast and no real care is needed.

I have many Colorado blue spruces which takes years to grow and lots of care needed.
White pines are a good tree but depends on how many you wish to plant.

Have you consider a fruit tree or white oak maybe a maple for years to come.

Sometime a walk thru the forest can give you a better idea.

Thomas..NH /w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif

 

[dmccarty]

Call your state forestry department/local ranger. In North Carolina the forestry department sells a large variety of different trees, pines, oaks, ash, dogwoods, cypress, etc. They are very reasonably priced. The wife and I worked on a list of tree we wanted but because of the packaging it came out to 600-900 trees! We are still pondering the order!

I have found that the local ranger as well as the local extension office a great reasource and very willing to provide information.

As other have said, be carefull of poplars. They grow fast but I have heard the don't live long and are prone to wind damage.

Good Luck...
Dan McCarty

 

[heehaw]

several years ago i planted several of the popular trees, as mentioned previously, the roots were a major pain in the lawn mower, i have since cut all but one, and i think it died last summer during the drought..i also planted some sugar maples, they aren't quite as fast growing, but close..and so far are really nice trees. also planted some weeds, sometime called improved loblolly pines; really fast growing, but very vulnerable to ice and wind..i still have a lot of them, but have cut all of the ones that were in the yard especially the ones close to the house..
heehaw

 

[GrantMO]

Danny,

Generally the faster growing the tree, the weaker the branches and more susceptible to wind, ice damage it is. However I and my neighbors have had good luck with Rocky Mountain Austrees which are a hybrid with rapid growth, strong branches and good resistance to wind. They are said to live about 50 years. I planted 5 last spring to help screen out the neighbors and they grew about 3 feet last year. I'm expecting about 6 feet of growth this year. The trick is to follow the watering and fertilizer instructions closely. I split an order of 10 with my neighbor and his only grew about a foot because he didn't water them enough last summer. Anyway, another neighbor has a windbreak of about 50 trees 5 and 6 years old. They stand 30-40 feet tall and have had no problems with the usual winds around here and the 80+ mph winds last summer during one bad storm.
They aren't the prettiest tree but they do the job and aren't too expensive. Check out the website and the second one which has rapid growing evergreens. I don't have any experience with those but am thinking of buying some to try.

http://www.rmausa.com/
http://www.advancedtree.com

Grant

 

[ERNIEB]

The best thing to do is check with your local agricultural extension office. They can provide info on the right type of trees for your soil and climate. They should have something on the varieties available. Fast growing trees are often short lived, and have soft wood. You might want to consider a variety that is maybe not as fast as you would like, but ends up a better tree.

Ernie
"You can plainly see that the Alamo was never built by a military people for a fortress."
Green Jameson, Jan 1836 (in a letter to Sam Houston)

 

[TomG]

If the trees are needed to provide a visual barrier, then you want something that won't crown up after a few years. Around here, cedar grows fast and will sort of 'hedge up.' Fir and some spruce tend to keep branches near the ground but don't grow as fast. Both cedar and fir like moisture. A lot of the choice depends on where you are.

Poplar grows real fast, but it doesn't provide much of a visual barrier after a few years--especially during the winter. Beaver like them, and they will turn a poplar stand into a widow-maker stand in a hurry if there are any beaver around.

Trees of all kinds, but especially fast growing one, and doubly especially anything willow should never be planted anywhere a septic system.

 

[rekees]

Danny

Take at look at the Bradford Pear tree. Grows fast, nice round shape, and has beautiful white flowers in the Spring.

Chuck in IN

Chuck in IN