Over 25 other research institutions and agricultural groups are also involved in the consortium. Over the next few years, the Salix Consortium will promote the commercial production of willow plantations within a 50 mile radius of several utility power facilities in central and western New York. Most people think of willow in its common context, a large crowned, often weeping and stately tree growing in yards or along stream banks. Willows used for willow biomass plantations are strikingly different and reflect years of genetic crosses, out-planting testing, and field trials to identify hybrids with the fastest growth over a range of soil conditions, and with minimal susceptibility to pests and pathogens. This research history takes willow from the ornamental or stream bank category and firmly roots it as an agronomic crop.
Willow plantations use a combination of agricultural and forestry systems.
Plantations are established as double-row plantings of approximately 6,200 trees per acre. After one growing season, sprouts are cut back to promote the growth of multiple stems per plant. Stems grow up to 25 feet tall after 3 years, the duration of the typical rotation period. Average yields of 7.5 dry tons per acre per year are expected, compared to an average of about 0.5 to 1.5 tons per acre per year in a central New York forest. Willow plantations for biomass production are targeted for agricultural lands.