Willow

[J-P]

Just for the record- and IMHO

 

Any native willow grown on a longer rotation ( 15 yr) is denser than poplar or spruce.

 

cinerea -burns best - stays dry in stack

 

viminialis - primitive clones good on 15yr+ rotation. New clones - need more research for SRF

 

caprea - good yield on drier soils - draws moisture in stack - similar density to viminialis. Very poor from cuttings.

 

fragilis, alba, etc - density too low.

 

I plant caprea x cinerea or viminialis on forest soils. Viminialis x aurita is the way forward for marginal, acid or upland sites.

[spandit]

Glad you said that about cinerea - it's the predominant species here and I have a row that need pollarding every year as they're close to a power line. Trying to streamline my processing - tend to tie up bundles of twigs as faggots that I cut to kindling length once dry. Do normally end up with a big pile of brash, however