Populiculture information

Populiculture is the name given to various types of cultivation in artificial poplar stands (Populus sp.), on the fringe between agriculture and forestry. Its manager is called a "poplar farmer".

Their ease of planting, rapid growth, and natural affinity for very wet, but not swampy, biotopes make them one of the most widely cultivated species in France, Belgium and the Netherlands, as well as in many former wetlands.

To boost their growth, poplars (varieties or cultivars resulting from hybridization between poplars of European or American origin, generally first selected for their rapid growth) are sometimes planted on soil prepared by subsoiling or ploughing, often after weeding and sometimes fertilizing and drainage using techniques more reminiscent of agriculture than forestry.^[1]