Random questions:

 

Is it invasive?

No, the Empress tree is not invasive.

There are 23 species of Paulownia (the biological name of the Empress tree). The one that is most commonly known is the Paulownia tomentosa and this happens to be the only invasive variety. We use only non-invasive species and the trees we grow are only from mother stock. This means they are unable to reproduce without a human hand to help.

Where is it native to?

The tree is native to China – however, we have good reason to believe it has North American roots. In fact, the oldest known fossils of the tree were found in the United States. Dating to 40,000 years ago, fossils have been found from Washington State and Alabama. However, the tree does not like the cold and it was wiped out in the ice ages.

The Chinese re-introduced the Empress tree to North America 200 years ago. All the research to date shows that the tree plays nicely with other species.

Source: Carbon Offsets World Tree.com

WELCOME TO THE FASTEST GROWING TREES IN THE WORLD!

What began as a small hobby  4 years ago has consistently been a pleasant small business that intrigues and blesses even as it shades us!

As of today we have over 1100 Paulownia trees planted, in three varieties:  elongata, fortunei and kawakami, from 4 feet to 40 feet tall.

Some of these trees grow a foot a week in the hot dry summer months.  They are drought-resistant, insect-resistant, and are known as 'aluminum trees' because of their great strength and light weight.  Lumber can be harvested from them every 5-6 years compared to every 40 years for hardwood;  roots can clean selenium from soil AND it is carbon-sequestration powerful thanks to huge leaves that are 28% sugar!

We have a limited number of seedlings for sale. If interested, inquire for info on buying, planting, growing for lumber. etc. from Mike  559.824.3254 call or text. 

mikelammons@gmail.com

OUR 2020 SEEDLING INVENTORY IS READY FOR SALE 

(Some are  5' tall in pots)

(We always sell out by mid-May!)

For more about these trees, http://www.paulowniaeuropa.ro/en/all_about_paulownia.html

Fast Growing Trees

Here are  a few pics from our 3 y.o. Paulownias, taken quickly before the leaves begin to drop!

Mike and the young Fortunas.

They are looking great!  Measuring 31" at base, 12 foot to start of crown.

Even bigger!

These trees are good for environment, fast-renewing lumber crop, low water requirements, LOVE heat, and make great shade if that's all you  are looking for.

See more:


For US info feel free to contact Mike mikelammons@gmail.com

6 months' growth

Paulownia Fortunia Tree

Planted August 2014
Cut to ground 4/1/16

Measured today 10/6/16

Zoom in and see orange markers:

5' mark Tree is 10 1/2" around
10' mark Tree is 7 1/4" around
12' mark Tree is 5" around

Base of Tree is 24" around

This growth is from a 8" Shoot after cutting in April, 2016.

SIX MONTHS GROWTH.

Mike Lammons
National Director
Digital World
559 824 3254

Expansion

Wxpanding for more Paulownia trees....

Fortunia planted May, 2014
Cut down 3/29/15

From a 5" shoot, now 35 " tall when this pic taken on 4/15/15---- 2 1/2 weeks after cutting

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Advice  excerpts from John Waggoner, USA Today:  click to read entire article!

Three investment lessons from the trees

II. Invest in timber for the long term.
GMO LLC, a respected Boston money manager, periodically issues a forecast for various types of investments over the next seven years, adjusted for inflation. Their most recent outlook is fairly gloomy: U.S. large-company stocks will lose 2% a year, and high-quality stocks will gain just 0.5% a year.
The standout: Timber, which GMO forecasts will gain 4.8% a year, after inflation.


III. You need a lot of patience – and land – to make money growing timber on your own.
High-quality hardwood, such as walnuts, can fetch high prices. Why not skip making an IRA contribution this year and plant a couple of walnut trees instead?
And that's an interesting thought. Greger points out, however, that timber is no sure thing. You'll have to be on guard against fire, insects and the occasional beaver. And you'll have to trim the trees to grow straight and tall – otherwise, it will be hard to cut a good-sized log out of that.
And you'll need time. More common pine, the kind you make two-by-fours out of, grow about 10% each year up to age 50, almost doubling in volume and value every 7 years. You usually need a 10-inch log to sell for logs, which are far more valuable for pulp.
As for walnut: You'll need about 60 to 80 years to get the right color and grain for prime veneer. So they'd be better investment for your grandkids' college than for your own retirement. And your biggest expense will be hiring someone to cut them and haul them to market, Greger says. "You might not be paid very much for that tree."
So you can learn a great deal from lumber, and, with the right investments, actually make some money. But the best return you can get from your own trees is to walk outside on a spring morning and see them in bloom.

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3/4 year update: GROWING!

Elongatas: Planted May, 2011
Cut to ground March 2013
Pic taken Jan 2015

We continue to get requests for info from all over the world on these trees. This month marks our 4th year in this project and we were only looking for a few fast growing shade trees. Had no idea of the world wide demand for this wood and now we have 415 trees planted and will add another 100 or so this summer.

Elongatas, Fortunas, Kawakamis: Planted June 2012
Cut to ground March 2013
Pic taken Jan 2015

In ground 2 1/2 years

Our trees go dormant in October and lose their elephant leaves at first freeze.
They start waking up mid February when blooms start popping out and leaves follow.

Elongata: Planted May 2011
Cut Down March 2013
Pic taken March 2014

These trees luv super hot sun and grow from leaves. We measure and document height and width growth. One tree grew one foot per week in July and August and grew 3 3/4" in width from 6/5/14 to 8/12/14.

Fortunas:  planted May 2013 and cut to ground in March 2014
This pic taken July 2014-   4 months after cutting.

Thanks for checking our site and send email, text or call regarding our trees.

Mike Lammons


Michael R. Lammons
Pacific Coast Manager
Merchant Guard

559 824 3254 Cell & Text
Mikelammons@gmail.com
Barb's blog:
Merchantguard.blogspot.com


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