Populus nigra a rare tree indeed

[Dean Lofthouse]

Well I'll be blown, in my local rag The Huddersfield Examiner, apparently and according to the "Burton enviromental Group" of Kirklees this Black Poplar was, "The tallest living tree in Kirkburton - it was probably the oldest living thing in Kirkburton"

 

and "People who passed it could not help but be awed by this superb specimen of a locally rare species of tree"

 

Story below:

 

 

Huddersfield Examiner - News - Local West Yorkshire News - Kirkburton endangered tree chopped down by the council

 

 

I've got a whole bunch of them in my wood should any local tree Hugger wish to come and spend time with one,

 

I do have at least one 100ft plus Black poplar, I did have three 100fters, but I have cut one down and my neighbour (without permission) cut down the other

Edited September 6, 2009 by Dean Lofthouse

[sean]

Well I'll be blown, in my local rag The Huddersfield Examiner, apparently and according to the "Burton enviromental Group" of Kirklees this Black Poplar was, "The tallest living tree in Kirkburton - it was probably the oldest living thing in Kirkburton"

 

and "People who passed it could not help but be awed by this superb specimen of a locally rare species of tree"

 

Story below:

 

 

Huddersfield Examiner - News - Local West Yorkshire News - Kirkburton endangered tree chopped down by the council

 

Do you know this tree???? If so what condition was it in? Was it a justified fell?

[hesslemount]

I'm surprised that black pop's are so rare in West Yorkshire. Is this info credible?

[Stephen Blair]

a 100ft pop, wow. it must of been at least 30years old lol

[Dean Lofthouse]

To me I am not so much suprised about the taking down of the tree as we all know, they have more often than not, been pollarded or end up leaning at an alarming rate with the root plate raised on one side.

 

What concerned me most is them being described as: "An endangered species"

 

I think this is the typical un-educated ignorant response expected from interfereing tree huggers who don't research their comments.

 

My wood is 3 mile from Kirkburton, I am this year carrying out a thinning removing around thirty Black poplars before they get hold and take over, they are welcome to come here, dig them up and transplant on their land if they wish

[Alinicoll]

http://www.forestresearch.gov.uk/pdf/fcin057.pdf/$FILE/fcin057.pdf

[Alinicoll]

sorry, couldn`t get a link up but some info at that address

[Mr Ed]

Very interesting article. I copy pasted the pertinent points -

 

Black poplar is one of Britain and Ireland’s rarest trees.

The most recent survey (Cooper et al., 2002; Preston et

al., 2002) estimates that there are 7000 trees in England,

Wales and the Republic of Ireland of which 600 are

females. The majority of trees in England exist below the

line drawn from the Mersey to the Wash (Figure 3) and

there are areas, such as the Vale of Aylesbury, where the

tree is particularly frequent with 2400 specimens having

been recorded. The majority of pollarded trees are located

in the Welsh Borders and in East Anglia (Cooper et al.,

2002). Female trees occur throughout the distribution

range in England but are rare in Wales (Cooper et al., 2002).

 

 

There is considerable interest in the need to conserve the 7000 trees which are all that remain of the population of black

poplar growing in Britain. Recent work based on molecular techniques has provided markers which can unambiguously

distinguish first generation hybrids of P. x euramericana from P. nigra. This is an important tool as it enables non-hybrid

trees, which should be conserved, to be distinguished from exotic clones of hybrid poplars. Molecular markers have also

demonstrated that the British population of black poplar has low diversity, compared with that in other European

countries, and that there is a great deal of clonal duplication. Female clones are particularly rare. The ability to identify

clones offers the opportunity for conservation effort to be concentrated at the level of the clone rather than that of the

individual tree. Most of the British population is derived from ancestral material which colonised Britain after the last

glacial period from refugia in southeastern Europe.

Work aimed at understanding the physical processes which drive the ecology of floodplain forests may help to re-establish

populations of black poplar which have the capacity to reproduce and adapt to a changing environment.

 

 

Black poplar trees in Britain belong to the subspecies

betulifolia, otherwise known as the Atlantic race of

European black poplar. They differ from subspecies nigra

in that their young expanding leaves have hairy petioles.

Black poplar used to grow in the natural floodplain

forests which lined the banks of rivers in Europe,

however, much of this habitat has been lost since the 17th

century through such processes as urbanisation, land

drainage and canalisation of rivers. Recently there has

231 Corstorphine Road

Edinburgh

EH12 7AT

Forestry Commission GB

been interest in the re-establishment of floodplain

habitats, including the floodplain woodlands which

contain black poplar as a key species.

Due to Europe-wide concern over the increased frequency

of river flooding, consideration is now being given to the

development of natural flood defences. The Natura 2000

network of nature conservation sites across Europe

includes many which are located on floodplains. Although

there is very little floodplain woodland in the UK today,

this may begin to change with the increased recognition

that such woodlands:

• have a potentially high amenity value;

• can perform a commercial forestry function;

• have the potential to help in flood management;

• help the control of diffuse pollution of water.

A number of projects and initiatives across Europe are

looking at the value of floodplain forests. Of particular

interest, in relation to black poplar, are the EU funded

FLOBAR 1 & 2 projects that are investigating how to

restore the biological function of floodplain forests by

restoring the physical processes that drive them.

[tommer9]

Black poplar you say...........rare.........

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Actually the one in rings was rotten to the core, amillaria, and the other two were coppiced.

[Dean Lofthouse]

I must have the highest density of "Hybrid" poplars round here then.

 

Next question is was it P. x euramericana or P. nigra