Energy willows, planted to protect roads from blizzards in Western Romania

Authorities in the Western Romanian county of Arad will plant so-called energy willows along roads three years after cutting down more than 3,000 old roadside trees which were seen as a danger to traffic. For the first time in the country, the Arad County Council launched a pilot program earlier this week to plant so-called energy willows along roads. These grow so fast, that in two years they could be up to 7 meters high. Not only that, they can be harvested annually and used in the form of briquettes or pellets for heating. They can also be useful especially in winter, because they prevent snow drifts on the road during blizzards The first road lined with the new trees is the 20 kilometer long route between the communes of Semlac, Şeitin and the Romanian-Hungarian border town of Nădlac. Investing around EUR 112,000 from its budget, the county council will plant similar trees near three other roads next year. They estimate to recover the investment in two years, after the first harvest. One hectare of energy willows produces an average of 40 tonnes of wood, which can be sold at the price of about EUR 50 /ton. The planted areas on the both sides of the road cover some 67 hectares. Because of their shape, willows are less dangerous in case of accidents than the trunks of other trees, authorities say. Energetic willow was imported to Romania from Sweden and is gaining popularity in countries like Austria and Germany because of its very high caloric value. By Paul Sinka, guest writer