The InnovaTree™, developed by the Natural Resources Research Institute (NRRI) with a patent pending by the University of Minnesota, is now available for purchase with greater availability expected next spring. For each tree sold, the University will get a royalty, which will fuel even more research.
The result of nearly 30 years of cross pollination, InnovaTree is NRRI’s first poplar variety on the market. InnovaTree grows 64 percent faster than leading commercial hybrid poplar varieties, with the ability to grow up to eight feet per year and 35 feet in under five years.
InnovaTree’s fast growth makes it an ideal option for cooling down urban hot spots and providing fast-relief erosion control. It can also pull toxins out of the ground at a rapid rate, absorb carbon four times faster than a red pine, and may even be refined into bioethanol and bio-plastics to replace carbon-spewing fossil fuels.