The Future of Poplar Culture
in the European Union
Accueil - French version - Italian version
(document FAO - 2003)
Forestry officials discuss future of poplar in expanding EuropePolicy reforms urged for maximum economic and environmental benefits
28 November 2003, Rome -- European policy-makers and forestry experts
meeting at FAO recently agreed that an expanded European Union (EU) stands to
gain from the economic, social and environmental benefits of poplar and willow
cultivation.
Participants at the "First International Conference on the Future of Poplar
Culture", held at FAO Headquarters in Rome, 13-15 November, discussed the
implications of integration of the forestry sectors of the EU, candidate
countries to the EU and the broader pan-European region for the forestry sector
in general and poplar culture in particular.
The conference was hosted by the National Poplar Commission of Italy, the
Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Agricultural and Forest
Policies in collaboration with FAO.
Clearer policies needed
Conference participants called for the EU to make explicit reference to forestry
and its benefits as key elements of its rural development policies.
The conference urged the EU to use its expansion to 25 members as an opportunity
to draft clearer and simpler provisions on forestry support, especially in
relation to afforestation of agricultural land taken out of production.
In the past, provisions of the EU's Common Agricultural Policy have resulted in
productive land being taken out of agriculture, although that land is not
necessarily available for forestry development.
Meeting participants called for the development of coherent and consistent
policies that avoid bias and market distortions and for the promotion of a
favourable investment climate in EU candidate countries in poplar and willow
culture and processing through joint ventures and equitable partnerships to
realize mutual benefits.
Benefiting economies and the environment
Poplars and willows, which account for an estimated 46 million ha of natural and
planted forests globally, are among the fastest-growing trees in temperate
regions. They are easy to cultivate and form an important component of forestry
and agricultural systems, often for small-scale farmers, across the globe.
The trees are used for a wide range of wood products that create employment,
boost exports and contribute to social and economic development and sustainable
livelihoods in rural areas. Non-wood products from poplars and willows include
fodder and biomass for renewable energy.
Poplars and willows protect soil and water, sequester carbon, combat
desertification and provide shelter for communities, livestock and crops. They
have also been used for soil remediation of contaminated sites.
"There is a lot of new science which clearly demonstrates the effectiveness
of poplars and willows in remediating various types of environmental
damage," says Jim Carle, Secretary of the International Poplar Commission
(IPC), an FAO statutory body. "They have been used to rehabilitate mine
sites and the land surrounding industrial plants, as well as in the treatment of
landfills and other areas contaminated by harmful chemicals."
Sharing technology and knowledge
The conference underlined the role of the International Poplar Commission in
providing a network to facilitate transfer of technology and in connecting
individuals and institutions for the development of sustainable poplar and
willow culture and use.
Other recommendations included: