Agroforestry Services: Crop shade  Agroforestry Services: Living fence  Agroforestry Services: Living trellis  Agroforestry Services: Nitrogen  Agroforestry Services: Windbreak  Fodder: Bank  Industrial Crop: Biomass  Management: Coppice  Management: Standard  Minor Global Crop

Well adapted to hot, humid environments in the lowland tropics[303 ]. It succeeds at elevations below 1,000 metres with a mean annual temperature in the range 22 - 30°c, and a mean annual rainfall of 2,000 - 4,000 mm, exceptionally tolerating rainfall as low as 800mm per year[303 ]. It lacks tolerance for cool temperatures below about 10°c[303 ]. It seems to prefer a bimodal rainfall distribution, growing rapidly during the wet season, but is capable of withstanding prolonged dry seasons of up to 9 months[303 ]. Requires a sunny position for best growth[404 ]. Prefers a fertile, moist but well-drained moderately light soil, though it succeeds in light sandy, medium, heavy clayey and low fertility soils[200 , 302 , 404 ]. Prefers a pH in the range 5.5 - 8.5, but can tolerate acid conditions down to 4.5[404 ]. Requires a position sheltered from strong winds[303 ]. The plant has an outstanding ability to tolerate waterlogging and is ideally suited to seasonally flooded environments[303 ]. When flooded, it initiates floating, adventitious roots, and protects their stems[303 ]. The species is very fast growing, but does not live long - it has a life span of about 20 years[303 ]. Plants have reached a height of 3.2 metres in just 9 months when raised in loamy soils, but only 1.8 metres when growing in sandy soils[303 ]. The plant tends to grow too quickly, resulting in brittle and weak limbs[307 ]. At a very short rotation of 3 - 4 years, the tree is capable of producing much higher cellulose raw material per unit area than most other pulp woods[303 ]. Even trees 3 - 4 years old can be pulped without debarking and are suitable for chemical pulping for use as cheap printing, writing, magazine and newsprint paper[303 ]. On a 3-year rotation, about 41 tonnes of pulp per hectare per year can be harvested[303 ]. Young plants respond well to the first time they are coppiced, but tend to copice less well with repeated cuttings[404 ]. Plants can flower all year round[307 ]. There are some named varieties[301 ]. This species has a symbiotic relationship with certain soil bacteria, these bacteria form nodules on the roots and fix atmospheric nitrogen. Some of this nitrogen is utilized by the growing plant but some can also be used by other plants growing nearby[200 , 404 ] Flowering Time: Blooms all year. Bloom Color: Red White/Near White. Spacing: 10-12 ft. (3-3.6 m).

Carbon Farming

• Agroforestry Services: Crop shade  Plants providing crop shade especially trees.
• Agroforestry Services: Living fence  Simply managed rows of shrubs and trees.
• Agroforestry Services: Living trellis  Plants to physically support other crops.
• Agroforestry Services: Nitrogen  Plants that contribute to nitrogen fixation include the legume family – Fabaceae.
• Agroforestry Services: Windbreak  Linear plantings of trees and shrubs designed to enhance crop production, protect people and livestock and benefit soil and water conservation.
• Fodder: Bank  Fodder banks are plantings of high-quality fodder species. Their goal is to maintain healthy productive animals. They can be utilized all year, but are designed to bridge the forage scarcity of annual dry seasons. Fodder bank plants are usually trees or shrubs, and often legumes. The relatively deep roots of these woody perennials allow them to reach soil nutrients and moisture not available to grasses and herbaceous plants.
• Industrial Crop: Biomass  Three broad categories: bamboos, resprouting woody plants, and giant grasses. uses include: protein, materials (paper, building materials, fibers, biochar etc.), chemicals (biobased chemicals), energy - biofuels
• Management: Coppice  Cut to the ground repeatedly - resprouting vigorously. Non-destructive management systems maintaining the soil organic carbon.
• Management: Standard  Plants grow to their standard height. Harvest fruit, seeds, or other products. Non-Destructive management systems.
• Minor Global Crop  These crops are already grown or traded around the world, but on a smaller scale than the global perennial staple and industrial crops, The annual value of a minor global crop is under $1 billion US. Examples include shea, carob, Brazil nuts and fibers such as ramie and sisal.