Footpath through willow plantation

Image: © Evelyn Simak Taken: 3 Jul 2014

Young willows (Salix spec) are growing beside trees which are several years old along this stretch of Stratton Road. These trees are grown as a crop. The 'farming' of willow trees as part of a commercial crop-to-power system is a concept pioneered in Sweden, where an estimated 50,000 acres are in production. Willow cuttings are planted in spring and in the first year the crop looks unimpressive, sprouting only a few spindly shoots which are cut back during the crop's first winter. In the following spring the trees sprout multiple stems from the cut stump. Willow trees have more to offer than just protection from the elements: they are part of a complex food production system and an important by-product is fuel. With global food price surges being at least partly the result of the production of fuel from food crops, research into the next generation of biofuels derived from cellulose and algae is already underway and many believe that willow will be a crop to watch.

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