PAULOWNIA
Paulownia, or imperial tree, is also known in Japan as kiri tree. Paulownia is characterized by many exceptional characteristics: fast and regular growth, great utilization of the plant, easy processing and high-quality technical wood, and recently there are also species of this plant that are adapted to our areas and can withstand temperatures of -29°C to +45° C. The species of the genus Paulownia is of great importance both for the ecological balance in the country where it is grown and for biological diversity (biodiversity), as well as for the economy, because it offers a raw material of excellent quality, highly valued on the world market. The further potential of this project is to surface additionally expand by 15 ha and approx. 10,000 trees. Paulownia trees are used primarily in furniture, but they are in great use for combating carbon emissions. Paulownia plant approx. removes 35 kg of CO2 per year (equalling 40 tones in hectars), which is higher than what typical trees do (21kg CO2 per year).
HISTORY
Paulownia trees date from western China and are in use for 2500 year of our time. The use of Paulownia in ancient times was for ornamental purposes, the same as for timber. The first international appearance of Paulownia was in the 1830s, when it was discovered by the Dutch East India Company. Origin of the word Kiri, It comes from Japanese and means "life".
USE
Paulownia is one of the fastest growing trees. A paulownia tree will reach a height of 10-15 meters in ten years. The wood is light and very hard. It is suitable for the production of furniture, airplans and in the construction industry. Paulownia is used to make musical instruments, decorations, surfboards, skis, crates, flooring, wall panels, drawing charcoal, etc. Paulownia honey has a typical taste, it is light, transparent, very tasty and fragrant.
CARBON CREDITS
Paulownia is a good fit for global carbon markets. It is one of the most popular and fastest growing sources of carbon credits. Creating new paulownia forests is a low-tech and cost-effective way to tackle climate change.