Poplar Science

Washington State University researcher Jon Johnson is partnering with Portland company GreenWood Resources to study the use of poplar trees as a feedstock for ethanol production. Hybrid poplars are apparently a low-cost, low-impact crop and are the fastest growing temperate trees. I see the merits in this -- vertical biomass growth rather than acres and acres of corn, for example. On the far end, I also see a potential excuse for further selective cutting.