All Central Asian countries have low forest cover of less than 15%.

After the collapse of the Soviet Union, energy supplies from Russia fell sharply. People turned to firewood as the main source of energy, especially, for the rural population, which led to the degradation of forests in the region.

Establishment of agroforestry and plantations of fast-growing trees will reduce the pressure on forests, satisfying the population’s demand for woodfuel and timber. Furthermore, fast-growing trees will help mitigate, and adapt to, climate change, for example, through windbreak agroforestry systems.

In all Central Asian countries, poplars are among the most widespread of tree species. Poplars have a long tradition in this region: they are planted as windbreaks in fields and homegardens and alongside irrigation channels and roads. Unluckily, development in poplar breeding slowed considerably after the collapse of the Soviet Union up until the present.

The aims of this project are two-fold.

1. Identify new poplar clones that can potentially contribute to farm income or energy in the form of agroforestry trees and/or trees on small plantations.
2. Identify wood products beyond the current use of poplar wood, for example, for construction of buildings.

During a preparation phase in 2018, a set of 20 poplar clones from inside and outside Central Asia were planted in Bishkek and Kemin (both in Kyrgyzstan) and Almaty (Kazakhstan) to test their growth rates. From Spring in 2018 until September 2019, the most promising clones grew from a 20 cm cutting into 7 m trees.

In 2019, these tests were expanded to 30 clones planted at several sites.

1. Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan
2. Almaty, Kazakhstan
3. Lavar, Kazakhstan
4. Tup, Issyk Kul, Kyrgyzstan
5. Jalalabad, Ferghana Valley, Kyrgyzstan
6. Tashkent, Uzbekstan
7. Khorog, Pamirs, Tajikistan

With these sites, a large part of the agro-ecological zones of Central Asia have been covered. In 2020, we plan to add new sites in Naryn and Osh, both in Kyrgyzstan, to complete coverage of high mountains and the hot southern regions of Central Asia.

Also in 2020, some of the 1 and 2 year-old trees will be transplanted into agricultural landscapes as windbreaks to test their properties outside the initial experimental setting.

During winter 2019/20, the wood mechanical properties will be tested by Eberswalde University for Sustainable Development so that possible products from the clones can be listed.