Why were poplars planted along important roads in the Soviet Union?
In the Soviet Union, they began to rebuild cities after the Great Patriotic War.
During mass construction in the 1950s, trees were required for landscaping neighborhood gardens. The choice fell on a balsam poplar tree, a modest and fast-growing tree originating in North America.
We planned to breed only males - we knew that females were cut off "cats". But because of the speed, trees of both species were planted. In addition, it happened that the trees changed sex after pruning. That's why they came down.
We were told that the poplars were chosen because they grow fast and are not pretentious. Actually, the reason was different. Watch the video.