From farmer to planter: Paulownia - a new direction in agribusiness Or how to get industrial wood in just 5 years

This is not a fairy tale or fiction. It can take only 5 years to cultivate industrial wood. Such a phenomenal rate of growth has a unique tree – paulownia.

So, according to Nikolai Novokhatskyi, the deputy director of the Institute named after L. Pohorilyi, paulownia is positioned as the fastest growing tree.

“Paulownia is a very interesting culture. It can be used as an energy crop for the production of solid fuels, or as industrial wood for the production of various woodwares, including very beautiful, very modern and expensive yachts. In this particular case, you see two-year-old trees that were planted last May. Farther there are the fresh plantations. The difference between the plants of the first and second years of the growing season can be seen visually”, shared Nikolai Novokhatskyi.

Alexandr Opanasiuk, the exclusive distributor of the Ukrainian company "IN VITRO" SL, gave a detailed account about this promising and new direction of agribusiness in an interview for farmerscan.com. Our meeting took place directly in the field on the demonstration area of the Institute named after L. Pohorilyi, where one- and two-year trees are located.

“Paulownia Clone in Vitro 112” – there is the word “clone” in the title. What does it mean?

The clone is not a scary word. In fact, all these plants are the same plant. It is important, that it is not GMO. Cloning is similar to the work of the copying machine; it is a doubling of the required number of the declared source with the perfect characteristics.

What are the advantages of this crop?

Paulownia is in the group of bioenergy crops. But I consider this plant not as a biomass for burning, although the characteristics are quite high, but as an alternative to the forests that are being hacked out today. In a short time, you can get an industrial forest. The remarkable thing is that after cutting the plant regenerates again from the same root system, it is not necessary to make re-plantings. In the same period, we will again receive industrial wood. I believe that exactly this is the advantage.

How many times can you cut a tree so that it regenerates back?

The plant can have 4-5 such cycles with the duration of 5 years. The maximum increment of growth is observed from 4 to 8 years of growth. Each planter determines the time period, and in what year the investment will be returned.

Are there any special characteristics in the technology of cultivation of paulownia?

The first year is the year of plant rooting and adaptation. After wintering, a technical cut is made. The plant is completely cut off at the root. With this operation we stimulate a more rapid development of the plant, we remove the side shoots. This forms a flush trunk with no snubs in the wood, so the products will be more valuable. After the technical cut a five-year cycle begins, at which point, it is possible to obtain a big volume of industrial forest.

We receive the planting material from the manufacturer from the laboratory. The seedlings are in the container and they are already denned. On average, plant height is about 20 cm and it is fully prepared for planting at a permanent place of growth. Planting is made only once a year, in spring. Definitely ground should be prepared in advance. Deep tillage and disking for smoothing are required. After that, there is a plot layout. If we plan to cultivate industrial wood, then the scheme of planting out is 4 by 4, thus, we get 625 units/ha. And finally, it can be observed the planting out itself. The main field work begins in late April - early May. What we can observe today – is the result of spring efforts.

What soils are suitable for planting?

The difference of the technical species is that it is able to adapt to different types of soil. The soil should be selected with pH range of 5.1 - 8.9. One of the main requirements is the groundwater occurrence no closer than 2 m to the surface. Paulownia can grow on different soils, from light sandy drained to heavy clay soils. In each of the variants, the client will receive corresponding recommendations and individual support.

Do I need specialized machinery?

The specialized machinery is not required. The first two years it is important to carry out the disking and cultivation for cleaning of the space between rows. Further, when the root system is formed, let us say, then only grass mowing is carried out.

We have learned some information about advantages. Are there any disadvantages?

Disadvantages are only possible if unclaimed land is absent. If a farmer has fields that are designated for traditional agricultural crops, a dilemma may arise, whether to switch to a longer investment, or to collect the annual harvest of familiar crops. I do not see other disadvantages. But this nuance is easy to make away. Setting annual, cyclical plantings, you need to wait only the first five years, in the future you can reap the harvest every year.

In which regions is paulownia grown?

Paulownia is well-liked on the following territories: Kyiv, Kirovohrad, Cherkasy and Lviv Oblast. In Mykolaiv Oblast some people are also interested in the growing of paulownia. In principle, they are interested in the growing of paulownia on the entire territory of Ukraine, from individual plants, to make sure that this is not fiction, and the plant complies with all the declared characteristics, as well as to plantations.

What will a farmer get in 5 years from 1 hectare?

Of course, the result depends on the human factor and whether the farmer will follow our recommendations. If we talk about the area, which will give indicators, as in the Institute named after L. Pohorilyi, here during the cycle of 5 years, the harvest will be equivalent from 1 hectare to 400 cubic meters in round timber. Nowadays, if we transfer this into the money measurement, then on the external market the cost of 1 cubic meter in round timber is 100-120 euros.

Is there a target market?

Nowadays the Ukrainian market is not formed. The European processors, knowing the characteristics of wood, and having already tried it by producing of their products, are ready to conclude contracts upon the condition of the return of even long-term investments. Therefore, our entire harvest will be sent abroad.

What can wood be used for?

First of all, it is a bioenergetic culture, and a good alternative to fuel. If we consider the already grown industrial wood, there is a very wide range of applications: building, furniture industry, car manufacturing, aircraft industry, shipbuilding etc. This also pertains to small crafts, toys, musical instruments and even construction of houses. The wood is light, but it has good strength characteristics. It is very popular among furniture makers, because it contains tannin, so the wood fretters do not damage it.

What is the expense portion?

The business model is more like a construction kit. Any person from a different field of activity, who is not connected with an agrarian direction, can begin to be engaged in farming. Nowadays it is available to rent land and equipment, hire employees and ensure the conduct of agronomic operations. This will be the main share of investment. It will be approximately equal to the cost of seedlings. The purchase of planting material will be equal to half of all expenses of the first period.

The cost of seedling is following: the wholesale price is 7.2 euro/unit; the sell-out price is 10 euro/unit. Knowing the planned planting area, as well as the required number of seedlings of 625 units/ha, you can easily calculate the expense portion.

The last question: where can I buy seedlings?

We are exclusive distributors; planting material is released only by representatives of our company. By each purchase, the client receives a full package of documents. Nowadays many companies copy our name and the name of the plant that they sell. But these companies can not guarantee, neither the root-taking of the seedling, nor its wintering, and in general, mass increasing and gaining of the profit.

Yuryi Usyk, a businessman from the Chernihiv Oblast, told the journalist of the website farmerscan.com about his growing experience.

“When I heard about growing of paulownia for the first time, the business seems to be interesting. In addition, my grandmother had shares, and they decided to plant a small plantation there. Last year 3 hectares were planted, this year we planted with this culture 5 hectares. It is not complicated to care for this culture. Next year I plan to expand the area. For me, this is a kind of deposit or pension fund, which you can cash out at any time at the rate that exists at the moment”, shared the entrepreneur.