Potential drivers of fast growth in Paulownia

Zhao, Yang and Lundgren, Marjorie R. (2025) Potential drivers of fast growth in Paulownia. Plants, People, Planet. ISSN 2572-2611

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Abstract

Societal Impact Statement: Trees in the genus Paulownia play a crucial role in sustainable forestry, rural economic development, and carbon mitigation due to their rapid growth, exceptional hardwood properties, and prominent carbon sequestration capacity. This review highlights the societal value of Paulownia trees and synthesizes several potential drivers of extraordinarily fast growth in these trees. These insights are valuable for maximizing Paulownia's potential for timber production and carbon sequestration, and they also provide a valuable model for studying mechanisms of rapid growth in hardwood trees. Summary: Paulownia is a genus of fast‐growing deciduous hardwood trees that are economically and ecologically important. Originally from East Asia, Paulownia are grown globally for their robust timber, agroforestry, and effective carbon dioxide drawdown, services that arise from their remarkably fast growth. Despite their clear value, the underlying drivers of fast growth in this genus remain poorly understood. Here, we review potential causes of fast growth in Paulownia and identify several potential adaptations, including photosynthetic metabolism, non‐foliar photosynthesis, tree habit, leaf structure, and hydraulic investment, that may contribute to fast growth in these trees. Our review highlights the paucity of evidence that would enable evaluation of these properties of Paulownia species and makes recommendations for future research needed to help explain drivers of fast growth in these important trees. In doing so, this review establishes a promising model system to study rapid growth in hardwood trees, their benefits to plantation cultivation, and potential for bioengineering.