Paulownia with Gary Mead

Paulownia with Gary Mead. This Week on From the Forest we will be speaking with Gary Mead about the paulownia tree (A.K.A. princess tree or empress tree). This tree is a non-native of the Catskill Mountains and rarely found. It has a bad wrap in some states where it has been deemed "invasive" and banned such as in Connecticut. However, according to the USDA, this tree is rarely invasive in most of the northeast, and really only can survive in extremely disturbed areas. Paulownia has been around since the mid 19th Century and it flowers and form are mesmerizing. The wood too is highly useful from this extremely fast-growing tree. Some like the American Paulownia Association highly revere this tree which used to be called "the magic tree" in the 1970s due to its multi-purpose nature.

Every third Wednesday we have local sawmill owner and wood artist, Gary Mead, to discuss a different Catskill Tree species. Gary is the owner of Fruitful Furnishings Sawmill and Gary Mead Gallery in Margaretville, NY.