California Institute for Energy and Environment (CIEE)

Hybrid poplar (Populus spp.), a short rotation woody crop, is of growing interest in the West Coast States of California, Oregon and Washington. This increased interest has been driven in recent years by hybrid poplar’s potential as a bioenergy crop or multiple wood products crop in combination with the potential revenue from carbon credits. This report aims to identify eligible lands within the West Coast States for the planting of hybrid poplar crops using a geographic information System (GIS) framework. . The eligible lands will be evaluated for their suitability based on a spatial analysis of environmental variables (datasets) that best predict the growth and productivity of hybrid poplar. The resulting suitability map is then analyzed against current research on the growth and productivity of hybrid poplar under different site conditions, which can then be related to carbon sequestration. The results showed that California has the most eligible land with around 14 million acres, but the majority of these acres would need irrigation. Washington State has the second largest amount of eligible land with 8 million acres, with around 27% of it suitable for planting with limited to no irrigation. Oregon has 5 million acres with nearly one third suitable for limited to no irrigation hybrid poplar plantations. Of these eligible lands the most suitable could produce an average of 3-4 t C/ac.yr, moderate suitability of 2-3 t C/ac.yr, and lands with poor suitability would average 1-2 t C/ac.yr. Revenue from a dedicated bioenergy plantation on a 6 year rotation is estimated to be $737-$976/acre with $86-$325/acre of that being earned from carbon credits. Revenue from a wood products plantation on a 20 year rotation is estimated to be $9,396-$10,989/acre with $425-$1,592/acre of that being earned from carbon credits. This study identifies counties or localities that may have considerable opportunities for hybrid poplar plantations, and can aid project developers in assessing those opportunities.