Poplar and Willow tree germplasm that has been nursed for 20 years by Crown Research Institute, Plant & Food Research, is to be used to seed a new tree breeding programme, based at Massey University in Palmerston North.

The breeding programme is the basis for a new Trust, launched at Parliament on Tuesday night, which aims to get farmers to grow more trees – specifically poplars and willows.

The Poplars and Willows Research Trust has developed from a Ministry of Works programme that began in the 1950’s, but has lagged in the intervening years, due to lack of support.

But since 20008 MAF has provided four years of grants from its Hill Erosion Fund, matched by regional councils.

Launching the Trust, Agriculture Minister David Carter said the storms and floods that have hit the country in recent times have been a reminder of the need to protect vulnerable hill country.