Introduction to Paulownia
Paulownia tree is by far the fastest growing hardwood tree in the world, allowing commercial returns within three years.
Paulownia is native to Southeast Asia but it is used throughout the World with a number of uses from construction, to wooden surfboards, to bio-fuel.
Due to its speed of growth, Paulownia has become a more reliable hardwood, guaranteed to grow quickly and satisfy increasing demands around the World.
Research into Paulownia only really started when deforestation in North America became an issue and demand began to develop faster growing trees.
The Paulownia tree has deep roots, perfect for stability, making it strong and reliable and perfect for growing in areas of steep inclines where trees would not normally grow.
Due to Paulownia’s deep roots it also has a greater tolerance to wind, therefore allowing it to grow and flourish in areas where forests may have already failed.
The Paulownia trees are able to grow in areas that lack good quality soil and therefore perfect for reforestation and afforestation across the world; with its ease of growth, the Paulownia tree can quickly reforest an area. However, the success of a Paulownia plantation is not a miracle and requires caring. We suggest to carry the necessary soil studies in order to maximize the performance of your paulownia plantation.
About Paulownia Wood
Paulownia wood is practically knot free, which greatly reduces wastage and makes it an excellent choice for many buyers. Paulownia trees are disease resistant and have a very high temperature resistance – making Paulownia wood almost bullet proof to the elements.
Used in Asia for over 1,000 years, Paulownia is a very good insulator, has high temperature resistance and its combustion temperature is almost double that of many conventional hard and soft woods.
In real terms, it is widely acknowledged that Paulownia is the tree of the future.
However, NOT all paulownias are the same. There are more than 17 different registered species, just like olives or grapes.
General Paulownia Wood Characteristics
Lightweight
Paulownia wood is renowned for its exceptional lightness. Its low density makes it a popular choice for applications that require a lightweight material, such as furniture manufacturing, boat construction, toys, and building panels.
Paulownia wood is the lightest known timber other than balsa. It is also named the Aluminium of Timber. It is around two thirds of the weight of the lightest commercial wood currently being grown in Europe. Paulownia wood is one third of the weight of Oak and half the weight of Pine.
Strength and durability
Despite its light weight, paulownia wood exhibits notable strength and durability. It can withstand deformations and stresses, making it suitable for use in structural construction and as a building material.
Paulownia wood has the highest strength to weight ratio compared to any wood in the world. Auburn University tested the strength of 288 kg/m3. against balsa with an average weight of 160 kg/m3.
Strength of modus rupture mor (psi)
Balsa…………….2800
Paulownia………5750 Source Dr. R.C. Tang, Auburn University
Plantation grown Paulownia is mostly knot free and holds nails and screws well without requiring pilot holes to be drilled. Both yellow poplar and white pine wood have proven to split before Paulownia wood.
Conductivity
Paulownia wood is a very good insulator. Paulownia constructed log homes are said to have twice the “R” factor as pine or oak wood. This temperature resistance serves to give the wood a high fire resistance too with ignition temperature approximately 400ºC, almost twice as high as many conventional hard and soft woods.
Dimensional Stability
Paulownia wood is well-known for its dimensional stability. It is less prone to warping or shrinking due to changes in humidity and temperature, making it ideal for applications that require wood resistant to deformation, such as musical instrument production.
Other Paulownia Wood characteristics
- Low shrinkage;;
- Resistance to insect damage;
- Resistance to fungal rots (but not to surface moulds).
Uses of Paulownia Wood
Paulownia wood has been used for a wide variety of purposes in China and Japan for more than 2500 years. Australia, the US, and now Europe are becoming principal consumers due to its unique characteristics. The main common products are:
- Housing components that do not require high timber strength.
- Aircraft and yatch fittings, requiring light wood.
- Water sport materials such as surfboards, wakeboards, skies, etc.
- Veneers for plywood.
- Furniture, especially drawers. This is because the wood fits snugly and is insect-resistant.
- Musical instruments, particularly guitars and sounding boards.
- Barrels, especially those used for acids, wine, etc.
- Beehives, for which light-weight and good insulating properties are needed.
- Aqueducts, in rural areas.
- Handcrafts, because the wood is easy to carve and turn.
- Rice bowls and other utensils, especially in earlier times.
- Wooden boxes for gifts or storage of paintings and scrolls.
- Charcoal for fireworks and filters.
- Wood pulp – which is white and strong.
- Wood shavings for packaging and insulation.
- Packaging, especially light crates.
- Paulownia Coffins, becoming very popular in Europe.
- Pattern-making, where timber stability is required.
The popularity of paulownia wooden surfboards has been on the increase in recent years with technology playing a part in producing a quality sustainable products. Paulownia is the premier wood for producing all types of watersport equipmens because it has a good weight to strength ratio, is very light and absorbs less salt water than many other types of wood. Paulownia surfboards are usually finished with a natural oil which prevents damage from sun on the board and salt drying on the surface. It has low maintenance and can easily be made at home.
A further attraction with paulownia wooden surfboards, kayaks and boats is the small environmental impact compared with fibreglass products, which are recognised as pollutants with long decomposition time.
