The native black poplar
(Populus nigra ssp. betulifolia) is one of Britain’s
rarest trees. It is a beautiful tree with a long history of
use for timber. The Suffolk Coastal district is one of the
last strongholds for the tree with approximately 90 mature
trees still surviving.
In order to ensure the survival of the species cuttings are
taken each year from mature trees and grown on in pots. These are
available for planting back into suitable landscapes, mainly river
valleys, where the tree can mature.
The native black poplar was formerly a component of floodplain
woodland but now occurs as isolated specimens in wet meadows, along
hedgerows, beside farm ponds and near to rivers.
The tree is a
Biodiversity Action Plan species (new
window) with an agreed set of targets and an action plan for
its protection and regeneration.
It has not reproduced naturally for many centuries and its
current distribution reflects the once common practice of striking
cuttings around farms. It has been in decline for the last 200
years and is now rare. Most surviving trees have reached old age
and mortality rates are high. Suffolk has a significant proportion
of the British population, especially the rarer female trees.
Today there are thought to be less than 8,000 mature native
black poplars in Britain. 430 of these survive in Suffolk, 90 of
which are in the Suffolk Coastal district. Only 5% of trees
nationally are female. Suffolk has 80 female trees, 75% of these
grow within a triangle between Saxmundham, Framlingham and Wickham
Market. Very rarely do male and female trees grow close enough
together for fertile seeds to be produced.
The timber of the black poplar was once used for floor boards,
cart making and cruck framed buildings. In the 18th and 19th
Centuries new hybrid poplars with straighter, faster growing timber
were introduced from abroad and native black poplars ceased to be
planted. Virtually all the trees remaining date from around that
time.
A DNA study has revealed many trees across Britain to be clones
of each other. For centuries trees were grown from cuttings and are
therefore genetically identical to the parent tree. Most surviving
trees have now been identified and have had cuttings taken from
them, which are being grown in ‘clone banks’. These will provide
the next generation of native black poplars.
Planting a native black poplar
If you are thinking of planting a native black poplar:
- Make sure it is native and not hybrid and from local provenance
stock.
- Plant it in a traditional place such as a riverbank, wet
meadow, pond or ditch.
- Plant at least 20m from the next tree and well away from
buildings, archaeological sites or important wetland.
- Female trees produce masses of fluffy seed.
If you have suitable land and would like to plant a black poplar
please contact the Landscape Officer on 01394
444420 or email
communityandeconomic@suffolkcoastal.gov.uk.
Once planted, please send a site map and tree source details
to:
County Ecologist,
Suffolk County Council,
Endeavour House,
Russell Road,
Ipswich IP1 2BX.
If you live outside of the Suffolk Coastal district you should
contact your local county or district council's ecologist or
landscape officer or your local wildlife trust, who may be
able to help.