Abstract:

To determine feasibility of intensive short-rotation management of triploid hybrids of Populus tomentosa, timber yields and fiber morphology were in detail investigated in 3-year-old intensive short-rotation pulpwood plantations planted at spacing 9 900, 6 660, 4 995, 4 440, 3 330 and 2 490 tree ·hm² with hardwood container seedlings in Yanzhou, Shandong Province. It was shown that there were extremely significant differences in tree height of intensive short-rotation pulpwood, and significant differences in stem volume within clones. There were also extremely significant differences in diameter at breast height and stem volume among spacing. Mean stem volume of pulpwood plantations planted with spacing 9 900 tree ·hm² attained 80.1 m³ ·hm^-2. Mean fiber length 3-year-old pulpwood plantations of triploid hybrids of Populus tomentosa ranged from 0.77 to 0.86 mm, mean fiber width from 24.18 to 28.07 μm and ratio between fiber length and fiber width from 28.83 to 34.59.It was suggested that all data could, to some extent, meet the need of pulp and paper making.

Key words: triploid hybrids of Populus tomentosa, pulpwood plantation, fiber morphology