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Step 1
Plant hybrid poplars or cottonwoods. These trees make excellent firewood and grow in 10 years or less in almost any climate. Hybrid poplars are a bit more resistant to cold weather than cottonwoods.
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Step 2
Prepare your woodlot. Medium textured, sandy loam is the best soil for hybrid poplars and cottonwood. Add lime if the soil is particularly acidic. Spray the site with herbicide and wait for it to take effect. Plow and disk the land or use a rototiller.
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Step 3
Plant your trees in the beginning of spring after the soil is frost-free.
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Step 4
Purchase unrooted or rooted cuttings from a nursery or cut them yourself from a lateral shoot from a young tree. You can also use a shoot from a tree stump. Unrooted cuttings should be a minimum of 8 inches long and a top diameter of about 1/4 inch or more.
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Step 5
Place unrooted cuttings in a hole so that only 1 inch is showing above the soil. Plant rooted cuttings so that the roots and some of the stem is covered with soil. Pack the soil firmly. Leave about 8 feet between each tree.
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Step 6
Control weeds with mulch or cultivation. It is important to protect your trees from weeds for the first two years.
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Step 7
Harvest wood when it is about 6 to 8 inches in diameter. This takes roughly seven years.
