Key organizers of IPC 2004 in an intensively managed
poplar plantation in central Chile
Photo courtesy FAO

IPC 2004 Participants
Photo by Patrick Mertens

IPC 2004: Field Trips in Chile and Argentina

John Doornbos and Cees van Oosten

The 22nd Session of the International Poplar Commission (IPC 2004) was held in Santiago, Chile in November 2004. The session was followed by field trips to central Chile and western and eastern Argentina late November to early December, summertime in the southern hemisphere. The field trips in Chile were south of Santiago in the San Fernando Valley near the cities of Rancagua and Talca. The western Argentina trip took us to Mendoza Province and the city of Mendoza; the eastern Argentina trip took place in the alluvial plains of the Delta del Paraná, northwest of Buenos Aires. All areas are situated between the 33rd and 36th parallel, at a latitude similar to an area between Los Angeles and San Francisco in the northern hemisphere.

The Chilean region visited has a temperate, warm climate, similar to the San Joaquin Valley of central California. To the east is the imposing Andes Cordillera (mountain range) and to the west the Coastal Cordillera – a coast mountain range – which parallels the coast and shields the valley from the influence of the south Pacific. These valleys are very fertile and form the basis for agricultural production, including poplars. Most crop production, including poplar, depends on overland flood-irrigation.

Following our tour in Chile we travelled by bus to western Argentina, driving through the Andes mountains over the Bermejo pass (3,937 meters). On the way we passed Cerro Aconcagua – Mt. Aconcagua. At 6,962 meters, it is the tallest peak in South America and is located just inside Argentina.

The region in western Argentina has an arid temperate continental climate with very little precipitation; it is a desert area. Temperatures can dip to as low as -10o C and rise to as high as 40o C. The elevation is between 600 and 900 meters (a.s.l.). The area is located in the rain shadow of the Andes Cordillera and the Pre-cordillera (pre-mountain range), which is located just east of the Andes and west of Mendoza. Overland flood-irrigation, as in Chile, is needed to grow numerous crops and sustain some 15,000 hectares of poplar, as well as numerous trees in the Mendoza plain and Mendoza city. From Mendoza we flew to Buenos Aires, which was our base camp for the field trips in the Delta del Paraná.

Just northwest of Buenos Aires are the extensive alluvial floodplains of the Delta del Paraná, which are just a few meters above sea level. The climate is moderated by the ocean’s proximity. Irrigation of crops and poplars is not needed here. The floodplains that are under crops are protected by a system of dikes and drainage canals and access is by boat only. The areas are totally free of salt water influence.

Poplar farming in both countries has a long history. For instance, El Álamo Agriculture and Forest Company in Chile established its first plantations in the 1930’s and is on its seventh rotation (álamo is Spanish for poplar). It should be noted that poplars are not native to South America, as a result, the region has relied on Euramerican Populus deltoides x P. nigra (DN) hybrids and pure eastern cottonwood, Populus deltoides (D), mostly from Italian breeding and selection programs. Some of the hybrids are back crosses to unknown male parents. These are in use in Chile and western Argentina; whereas eastern Argentina uses exclusively eastern cottonwood, Populus deltoides, due to the presence of Septoria stem canker, Septoria musiva. Although Septoria canker is also present in the arid temperate continental climate of western Argentina, where the hybrids are susceptible, they appear to be reasonably tolerant and are not subject to the serious stem breakage we all too often see in eastern North America. There was no mention of Septoria canker in Chile. The presence of Melampsora rust was evident in both Chile and western Argentina, but little information was provided about this disease; the dry climate may not very conducive to its spread. One insect pest of major concern in South America is a native ambrosia beetle, Megaplatypus mutatis, which causes major degrade in saw and veneer logs.

The Chileans face some serious challenges for future poplar farming and some of these sound familiar to poplar farmers the world over: price declines, lack of clonal integrity - wrong clones, or mixed clones, lack of new genetic material to replace the few and old clones now in use in the face of recent appearances of diseases and pests, declining interest by land owners to carry out cultural practices, such as pruning, incomplete site preparation, insufficient weed control etc. It is a Catch-22; the concern of the wood using industry is the intermittent nature of the supply, which in turn results in a lack of sustainability of a market, which affects the price etc. These are general challenges facing poplar growers everywhere.

Poplar farming in both countries is labour intensive as labour costs are still relatively low. Basic wages are about $200-250 per month with a faller making around $400-450 per month. This is equivalent to one day of wages in the west coast timber industry in British Columbia! The labour input is substantial in all phases of poplar crop production, including harvesting.

Planting

Planting is done manually in all regions, with some very large stock being used in Chile and western Argentina. For stock they use dormant one to two year old unrooted whips of 3.5 to 5 meters in length. The one-year old stock can be planted with a dibble or pointed steel rod, poking a planting hole to 50 centimeters deep; the taller two-year old stock is planted in an augured planting hole 80 centimeters deep.

Don Pedro’s planting stock in the Delta del Paraná, Argentina (left); unrooted whips at El Álamo Agriculture and Forest Company in Chile (right) Photos by John Doornbos and Cees van Oosten

With the tallest planting stock it becomes a two-man planting operation. The two-year old stock is stripped of buds and all branches, except for the terminal buds, which form the new shoots. This not only reduces transpiration losses after planting into the dry climate, it also reduces the need for pruning later on. Crop densities are low with trees planted at 5x5, 8x4 and 6x6 meter planting distances and are aimed at producing high quality knot-free wood in the bottom seven to 11 meters. Some growers plant closer with one-year old whips and then selectively thin their crop to 5x5 meter spacing. Nothing goes to waste and thinnings are frequently utilized to make poles and stakes for various end uses, such as stakes used in vineyards and poles for structural end uses such as roof rafters and trusses. Information from our Chilean hosts indicates that in many places in the poplar growing region of Chile, poplars are grown at much tighter spacings in combination with agricultural crops. It appears that these plantings provide environmentally favourable conditions for the crops grown and are not intended as a major source of wood, except possibly for local use, such as firewood and construction wood.

On one poplar farm in eastern Argentina the planting stock we saw was much smaller. They use unrooted, dormant cuttings of sizeable calliper, with a pointed end so it could literally be pounded into the ground like a garden stake. Planting distances are 5x3 and 4x4 meters, which are considerably less than what we have seen in western Argentina and Chile. Selective thinning is carried out, but it was unclear if there was any use for this material. Trees are pruned to a height of 4 meters and the end products are saw and veneer logs. The farms produce a mix of wood and beef. A match company we visited in the same region – Compañia Sudamericana de Fosforos – manages poplar crops planted at much wider spacings of 5x5 and 6x6 meters. These crops are grown from two-year old rooted sets. Pruning goes to a height of 6-8 meters. We did not visit these areas but instead were shown the fascinating match manufacturing process, where picture taking was strictly verboten!

Site Preparation and Plantation Management

Site preparation is thorough in Chile and western Argentina, using ploughs, disks and cultivators. There is some herbicide use in site preparation and limited use of herbicides in post-planting operations. Intercropping is used extensively in Chile in the 8x4 and 6x6 meter planting spacings. Forage crops like alfalfa were evident, as well as corn crops during the first one to two years of the poplar crop. Cattle-grazing takes over when the poplar canopy starts to close. We did not notice intercropping in western Argentina, but cattle-grazing was definitely part of the land use.

One-year-old trees with corn between the rows at El Álamo Agriculture and Forest Company in Chile Photo by Jake Eaton

Cattle grazing at the Don Pedro Forest Establishment in eastern cottonwood in the Delta del Paraná, Argentina Photo by Sylvain Fortin

In the Delta del Paraná in eastern Argentina site preparation appeared non-existent on the farm we visited, other than pushing down the grasses and other weeds with rollers and planting the pointed cuttings straight into the unprepared soil. Herbicide use was not apparent on this poplar farm. Driving by two- to three-year old poplar crops on our way in and out of the demonstration site clearly showed the heavy competition from grasses and other shrub species. The land-owner brings in cattle as soon as the trees have closed canopy and records the productivity of the land in m3 per hectare and current average weight of heifers! The lack of site preparation and weed control sent shivers up the spine of many a poplar grower present, but for some unknown reason it seems to work there. The land owner did establish one poplar crop at 4x4 meters in 1998 and intercropped it with common oats - Avena sativa; it was unclear what the oats were used for. For the oats to thrive and grow, the land owners must have carried out thorough site preparation and probably used herbicides. His poplar stands are thinned around age five. Lack of site preparation does not appear to be the standard in eastern Argentina, as the match company mentioned earlier above does use site preparation and mechanical weed control.

Willow Utilization

The town of Chimbarongo in Chile developed a thriving industry around willow wicker products, such as furniture and art. Some of the products are exported and look really very good. The industry depends on a relatively small area of about 225 hectares of willow production in 88 farms, which are owned by about 60 separate owners. All farms are planted to one willow clone – Salix viminalis. The willow crop is grown in spacings of 30x50 and 80x80 cm or 15,625-66,600 plants per hectare, which are harvested each year using the coppice system. After eight years the yield per plant starts to decline, but the plants last approximately 20 years, after which they are replaced. A Melampsora rust species was evident and managing this crop requires use of pesticides to control insects and diseases.

In the Delta del Paraná in eastern Argentina, on the lower, moister sites, willow is grown in tall tree stands by a paper company – Papel Prensa – for paper production. Harvesting is by a combination of manual and mechanized systems. The 12-year old stand that was harvested was the second rotation originating from coppice. This company relies on the “American” willow – Salix babylonica var sacramenta – for the majority of its 2,000 hectares. It was also growing two Salix babylonica x Salix alba hybrids on a relatively small area.

Our visit to the Delta del Paraná also brought us to the Experimental Agricultural Station Paraná Delta of the National Institute of Agricultural Technology – INTA. This institute concentrates on technological research and development in genetics of poplar and willow, willow silviculture, agroforestry, silvo-pastoral systems among others. Its nursery provides plants to many producers and it guarantees the genetic purity of its stock, which includes poplar, willow, grafted plants, pecan nut seeds etc. We visited several trials where some 59 new eastern cottonwood clones, mostly from the Mississippi Valley, are being tested. They concentrate on the pure eastern cottonwood to avoid the Septoria canker that would otherwise affect hybrids. The institute is also carrying out pruning trials with the two aforementioned willow hybrids. Willow wood is very bright in appearance and can be used in furniture making.

Flood irrigation near Mendoza, Argentina Photo by John Doornbos

Poplar and willow farming in Chile and poplar farming western Argentina depend on irrigation. It should be noted that irrigation was used not only for poplars but other tree crops and for the irrigation of vineyards, which were quite plentiful. Almost all irrigation on the poplar farms was through surface furrow irrigation, controlled via a system of shallow canals with adjustable dams, which regulate the water levels.

Water appeared plentiful in Chile, with much of it diverted from rivers coming from the Andes. The water table in the valley is fluctuating and drops low enough during the dry summer season to require irrigation. Water also appeared plentiful in the Mendoza region in western Argentina. Most irrigation is also through surface furrow irrigation. One farm we visited had access to an aquifer. Most water comes from a major river system that was dammed off. We were told that this river essentially ended at the dam and that there was no water left to continue its course. One farm obtained its water from a melt water source in the foothills of the Andes range by piping it 11 km through a cement pipe. This farm uses the Californian irrigation system, where water is delivered to the trees through a network of underground pipes.

Products

Most poplar crops we toured were grown for higher value saw and veneer logs. The care and management of the stands varied substantially from owner to owner. Some owners put a lot of effort into plantation management, while others seemed to have abandoned further efforts to improve log quality.

Most of the wood appears to go to local markets for building products, vineyard stakes, telephone poles, firewood, rough-cut lumber. The best logs are sawn for finished lumber products such as panelling, furniture stock, some of which was of appearance grade quality. Veneer logs find a use in plywood products and in the match manufacturing process. Veneer logs are also used to make tongue depressors, ice cream sticks, wine boxes, paint stirring sticks (Lowe’s logo was on some of these). The recent start up of a Louisiana-Pacific OSB plant in central Chile provides a welcome market for some lower grade logs. Wood was turned into bales of packing straw, the kind that is used to display fruit in fancy boxes. Fruit boxes were made out of poplar. In western Argentina we witnessed poplar being harvested for the board industry – particle and chip board to be used for the manufacture of office furniture. One mill cuts out the Septoria-degraded pieces and finger-joints the remaining clear lumber pieces to make boards for fruit boxes. There were many more uses for poplar than we are accustomed to in Canada, particularly in the area of value-added products.

Summary

The success and the longevity of some of these enterprises, the poplar farms and the various mills, are quite impressive and one cannot escape the notion that family ownership and pride are the basis for this lasting success. This story would not be complete without mentioning the fabulous hospitality we enjoyed in both Chile and Argentina. Wherever we travelled, we were welcomed by wonderful hosts, who treated us to wine, food, dance and just good times This was one meeting we would not have wanted to miss for anything in the world!

Feral goats for lunch in Mendoza, Argentina Photo by Sylvain Fortin

Lunch in the poplar trees hosted by El Álamo Agriculture and Forest Company in Chile Photo by Cees van Oosten

Carol Mardell - In Memoriam

We are sorry to announce the passing of Carol Mardell on November 27, 2005 after her courageous 4 - year struggle with cancer. Carol was the Executive Secretary of the Poplar Council from 1996 to 1999, when the Secretariat was based in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan. Carol was always a warm, friendly, optimistic person, as well as a valuable, helpful, hard-working asset to the Council. Both John Doornbos and Jim Richardson are glad to have had the opportunity to know and work with Carol.

We will remember her happy smiles and strong spirit. PCC members and friends who were in Prince Albert for the Annual Meeting in August this year were honoured to have Carol join them during a dinner at a local restaurant.

Carol leaves behind her husband Lawrence and children Alicia and Jarett, to whom we extend our sincere sympathy.

A donation of $50.00 has been made to the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation by the Poplar Council of Canada. If you wish to make a donation in Carol's name, see http://www.cbcf.org/become/make_donation.html.

2005 Executive Annual Reports

John Doornbos, Chair - 2005 Annual Report

The past year has been a very busy one for Poplar Council and its members. We have been involved in a wide range of activities including supporting herbicide registration, updating the Poplar Clone Directory and understanding the poplar genome.

At our meeting last year on the UBC campus in Vancouver, we learned about the work done to sequence or map the poplar genome. We also began some discussions on how this new and innovative information could benefit Poplar Council members. While we learned a great deal, it was clear that we needed to know more. In April this year, with the support of Genome Canada and Canadian Forest Service, Poplar Council hosted a workshop that brought together genomics scientists, poplar breeders and poplar users to begin looking at how this new research could benefit poplar breeders and users. The group identified some opportunities and priority areas to begin work; the group will meet again in the fall to develop work plans for these areas.

The Poplar Clone Directory, last revised in 1986, is being updated through the efforts of the Genetics and Breeding Working Group and via contract with Paprican. The data from the last directory has been brought together with almost all of the breeding done since 1986 into a standardized database that all poplar breeders can use to input the results of their breeding work. The 1986 database along with the databases of PFRA, Al-Pac, the Province of Quebec, WBAC and other breeders will be available to Poplar Council members. How the database will be made available, on-line versus a CD-ROM product, is currently being finalized by the group. The database format will allow for more regular updating by contributors.

The Herbicide Working Group has been busy with efforts to increase the number of herbicides available for use on poplars through the URMULE process. Poplar Council has provided financial support to this effort, primarily to purchase a membership in PPMUC (Prairie Pesticide Minor Use Consortium). This group has made one submission on behalf of Poplar Council and its members and is working on a second. Working with PPMUC has been an effective and efficient way to support this activity.

In other activities, there have been some developments to note. Poplar Council is providing direct support to the development of a Poplar Crop Manual for the Prairies. The project is also supported by Canadian Forest Service, the Saskatchewan Forestry Centre as well as a number of private companies. We have made the transition to an electronic newsletter from the former paper version. For those who don’t have Internet access, we can make hard copies available; please contact Sandra. Financially, Poplar Council finances are in good shape as a result of a number of contract projects. This will allow us to support our ongoing activities and possibly replenish our reserves, which we have drawn from over the past few years.

Several of us were fortunate enough to attend the 22nd Session of the International Poplar Commission in Santiago, Chile in late November last year. The Session provided us with some very interesting insight into the global issues facing poplar management. Many of the IPC member countries, including Canada, provide reports summarizing their poplar activities. Please contact the PCC office if you are interested in viewing these. Following the Session, we took part in several field tours, visiting poplar plantations, harvesting operations and manufacturing facilities in Chile and Argentina. It was interesting to see the different practices and the many common issues facing poplar managers in South America. A highlight of the trip was the excellent hospitality we receive from everyone we visited. We plan to provide a slide show during the Annual Meeting in Prince Albert and put together a series of articles for the newsletter.

This coming year is shaping up to be busy as well. Our Strategic Planning Session should generate some interesting results and activities. The ongoing work of the Herbicide group and the activities arising from the Genomics workshop will also keep us busy. I think we can look forward to another interesting and productive year for Poplar Council.

As always, I would like to thank Sandra and Jim for their all their hard work this past year. I would also like to express my thanks to the Working Groups and other members who have worked on PCC activities this year.

Jim Richardson, Technical Director - 2005 Annual Report

This is the ninth annual report to the Poplar Council membership from the Technical Director, a position created by the Executive Committee in April 1997. The general objectives of the Technical Director are to supply technical services and advice to the Council, to promote awareness and support for the Council and to increase membership. More specifically, the responsibilities of the technical director include maintaining and updating the Council’s website; responding to technical enquiries using E-mail, phone, fax and mail; providing an international dimension to the Council through participation in the International Poplar Commission; contributing to the PCC Newsletter and supporting technical aspects of the organization of the PCC Annual meeting; and providing services to members and the Board of Directors of a technical rather than purely administrative nature. The specific responsibilities continue to change somewhat, reflecting the changing ways in which the Council operates and the new directions and initiatives of the Council.

Recognizing the limited budget of the Council, the services of the technical director are provided for a minimal level of compensation. I work out of my home office in Ottawa, devoting on average about five days a month to Poplar Council business. However, the actual time commitment varies greatly depending on the tasks at hand.

Web site
The website (www.poplar.ca) was completely reviewed and redesigned in 2004 under my guidance by Mark Wilson of Quillfire Communications in Ottawa, who also did the original design in 1998. The site now has a greatly improved appearance and layout, and is easier to navigate. A simple search engine has been added to the member information in the ‘Members Only’ section of the site. There is a new ‘Publications’ section which includes all PCC newsletters dating back to 1977, annual meeting proceedings, Provincial and sectoral reports as presented to the last three annual meetings, publications related to IPC 2000 and IPC 2004, and others. With the move to electronic publication of the newsletter, the website is now an important source for that publication. The site continues to be well used, with the number of ‘hits’ and ‘visits’ over the past year exceeding 25,000 and 1600 respectively per month, peaking this year in April. The most frequently visited pages contain the newsletters. Maintaining the website is a major focus for most of the year, which is important to keep the information accurate and current. ‘Events’ and ‘Links’ are regularly updated and checked, as is the information about individual and corporate members in the ‘Members Only’ section of the site. When it is complete, the new poplar clone directory may be made available on the site.

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