Golden willow, Salix aureum , PI, Ps. One accession maintained at the Plant Materials Center has golden to reddish bark and a bush or shrubby habit. It has been used for streambank and roadside stabilization. Another accession of Golden willow formally used by the Washington State University Clark McNary Nursery for production of nursery stock for windbreaks, wildlife plantings, etc., is a tall, wide spreading tree. These willows are best adapted to low, moist situations where there is deep soil.
Golden willow is frost hardy and can be used where frost hazard is extreme.
In some areas, willow may become heavily infested with scale. Hybrid poplar, Populus tacomahaca canidicans x plantierensis P-5641, PI, Ps. This is the best accession among 24 hybrids tested at Pullman. This hybrid was selected from a large planting of hybrids at the Bellingham Soil Conservation Service Nursery. This windbreak type of poplar has had exceptional growth at Prosser under irrigation, averaging more than 3 to 4 feet per year.