Royal Paulownia (Empress Paulownia)?

[Pinefarm]

Are these for real? Sounds like a faster grower than poplar. If they do as claimed, I wonder if it's worth sticking 20 in an opening. Are these snake oil?
http://www.gardenerschoice.net/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=123

[Tedd]

"Austree" shade, fencerow and windbreak. Say will grow up to 15 feet per year! Grows to 90 feet tall.

http://www.rmausa.com/rma/trees/index.html

also heard some bad things about this variety too; like it's not good for residential (messy), and it requires lots of water initially (hard to do if planted on hunting property)


Here's some interesting reading on the variety you referenced; http://forestry.about.com/cs/royalpaulownia/a/r_p_goldroot.htm

[Backwoods-Savage]

Bob, I've tried a couple of the "fast" growers and both truly did grow fast. However, every one of them have gotten weak spots after several years and then they start falling. Most seem to break off about 10-12 feet up. They all have had lots of limbs which is good and they have made some decect cover for deer even after they broke off and died. However, they rot fast too and all you have is a mess.

Probably the biggest thing I've not liked about them is the roots. We are very sandy here and we have huge roots that are only partially in the ground. On one tree, I found one of it's roots 30 feet from the tree when it popped out of the ground for about 10 feet before going back down. We've got a bunch that I may hire a dozer to come in and clear; I can only imagine the mess we'll have.

Not sure how this type of tree will grow in other soils, but it seems to me that you are quite sandy where you are, so beware.