A small and dedicated group of New England foresters have been researching exotic larch (European, Japanese and their hybrid.) The larch was planted by a few companies in the 1980s and 90s in response to spruce budworm impact on softwood. The growth of these plantations even surprised us!!! On better sites, growth exceeded 3 cords per acre per year (18 cubic meters per hectare). This comparable to loblolly pine and coastal Doug-fir.
We have a website devoted to our findings www.larchresearch.com and few published articles that might be of interest. Journal of Forestry (March 2020 issue), Forestry Source (January 2020) and Northern Logger (December 2018).
Current research is response to thinning. We’re working with one organization, which is actively thinning their stands.
If anyone knows of exotic larch plantations in New England, please let us know. We are trying to document existing plantations.
If anyone is interested in more details, please contact, Dave Maass at maassdave24@gmail.com.