Hog Farmers Love Hybrid Poplars

Hybrid poplars are not new. Scientists have been tinkering with mixtures of poplar species for years. Recombination of genetic material from black cottonwood, eastern cottonwood, European black poplar and Japanese balsam poplar make resulting tree clones increasingly interesting to environmental scientists - and hog farmers.
In an Environmental News Network story, Poplar Trees May be New Draw for Pig Farms, a solution to the problem of disposal of farm pig waste may be at hand. New versions of the hybrid poplar seem to thrive on various forms of pollution. This is good news for hog producing states like Iowa and North Carolina.
Hog waste is not allowed on crops for human consumption. Farmers are having disposal problems and need an alternative to dumping the sludge on grass and pastureland. These poplars can be grown on or near hog waste lagoons. They can easily filter out and use the pollution as a nutrient and can be harvested in a decade to make paper.
Studies have found the trees can absorb nearly 3,000 gallons of effluent per acre per day, ridding the ground ammonia and nitrogen by safely metabolizing the compounds in their woody tissue. It's a good thing! Just one hog can create more than 8,000 pounds of waste per year.