Paulownia

Paulownia is a wood with many monikers. We know it by the western name it was given by Russian Tsar Paul I. He named it to honor his daughter Queen Anna Pavlovna of The Netherlands and it’s often referred to as the princess tree for this reason. In Japan where it’s revered for its beauty it’s called kiri. It was (and maybe still is) customary to plant a kiri tree when a baby girl was born to a household. Years later when the girl is married the tree is harvested and used to build a dowry chest as a wedding present. Another nickname is the phoenix tree which is derived from it tendency to regrow from its own root system after harvesting. In Chinese lore it also has a strong association with the phoenix where the bird is believed to perch only in the finest paulownia trees. The presence of the picky phoenix was a good omen but wouldn’t happen unless a benevolent ruler was in power.

It's a deciduous tree native to China and parts of southern Asia. It’s the fastest growing hardwood often reaching a height of 15’ or more in the first year. Harvesting can take place as soon as five years after planting. For this reason it’s becoming an important tree to the timber industry. While China, Japan and many other countries have been cultivating it for nearly two thousand years North American growers are just catching on. I predict it will become the next big “green” product from the timber industry for its renewability and a slew of other environmentally friendly properties I’ll leave you to discover on your own.

There are many uses for the tree’s lumber including construction, shipbuilding, crafts, musical instruments and so on. The wood is light in color, low weight and has a very high ignition point. In recent years it has garnered the attention of surfers and body boarders. The light wood is well suited for surfing because it’s strong enough to not need fiberglassing like balsawood. Well the same should be true for kayaks. Kayaks do require a layer of glass inside and out for strength and protection regardless of the wood so that that won’t change. What will change will be the weight. The specific gravity of paulownia is about a third of oak and half of pine. Cedar, commonly used for kayaks, weighs about 25% more.

Sounds perfect right? It’s strong, light weight, knot free, renewable, attractive, low in tannins, sapless and resists fire, rot, insects and warping. Great! Finding it in the US? Not so great. I did track down a few retail suppliers but didn’t get any responses to my queries. Luckily I eventually found a small plantation about 40 miles from my house. I called and was told they were closing shop but that they had a few pieces available. I scheduled an appointment for the following Saturday and met the owner on a lovely and secluded farm.

I struck gold. I had my pick of boards and spent a couple of hours talking with the owner who had a wealth of knowledge about the wood and its uses with boat and surfboard building. With my truck loaded and a smile on my face I went home $300 lighter. In the pictures below you can see my treasure. I stopped to take the picture after unloading half of the timber. The total weight of the boards combined is less than 52 pounds. The equivalent stack of cedar would weigh in at nearly 70 pounds. I’m pretty excited to get started but patience is needed. Before I begin I’ve got to empty out the garage…