Dear Mr Gomez,

I have just visited your site dedicated to Hybrid Poplars and would like to thank you for the wealth of information I recieved there. I will share my own experience which hasn't been as pleasant as yours.

I am in the process of removing 5 of my neighbors hybrids trees and one of my own from my property line. (He has giving me permission, because he is selling his home and is sympathetic to my plight.) The trees in question range from 12-20 years old. The problems I have experienced with the roots began earlier and were more severe than you indicated. Large roots began to be exposed at 10 years, and waterspouts were problematic even before that.

This year in particular, the "fuzzies" have been particularly bad. In the past, they would be an annoyance for 2-3 weeks and then disappear. The problem has become so bad that other neighbors who live 4-500 feet away are complaining (we live on two acre lots). I am assuming that the intense heat and drought are contributing to this problem. (I should mention that the hybrid that I planted does not have "fuzzies", and I am not sure if it is because of age or gender. I planted it about 8 years after my neighbor had planted his.) The fuzzies got really bad when I cut the tree down, and I have learned to make sure that I remove the branches the same day that I cut the tree down or I have a disaster on my hands! (I made the mistake of downing the trees on one day, and removing the branches the following day.)

I burn a lot of firewood, and if you put any value on your time, there seems to be little value in Hybrids as firewood. The wood does not contain the BTUs that a good hardwood such as Ash, Hickory, and Oak, and leaves a lot of residue (ash). I can burn oak in my stove without removing the ashes for a week..if I burn poplar I have to remove them daily. Also, the time that the wood can be stored after curing is very short (it goes from cured, to rot fairly quickly. I feel that unless you enjoy the cutting and splitting, and have nothing better to do with your time (I do!) then it is much more efficient to buy a good quality hardwood, cut split and delivered.

Your comment about the brittleness of the tree is accurate, although these trees have withstood some fairly big winds with minimal damage.

All of this is not to say that the Hybrid is a magnificent tree. It is amazing how well it grows, and we have taken cuttings from these trees and merely stuck them in the ground in one of our other neighbors yard and they grew quickly with absolutely no maintenance. I guess what I am saying is that, as always everything has its place, and in this case, the place for hybrid poplars is not in my sideyard!

(One afterthought: at one time it seemed as though a delightful aroma would emanate from the trees in the spring. In recent years I have not noticed it.)

I want to thank you again for all the information, and for your objectivity.

(Ironically, we live relatively close to one another, also.)

Gary Warfield

Boyertown, PA.