American Willow Growers Network

As of January, 2008, the American Willow Growers Network has been suspended.  Memberships will no longer be accepted or renewed, and a newsletter will no longer be produced.  Back issues of the newsletter are available for purchase and are described in the AWGN Newsletter section.

Goals

The American Willow Growers Network was founded in 1988 by Bonnie Gale.  The Goals for the Network, written at that time, are most appropriate today:

"The American Willow Growers Network is a network of people dedicated to the growing and exploration of the great potentials of Salix in an open cooperative manner by the sharing of information, exchanging cuttings and development of the uses of willow.

The aim of the Network is to build a body of knowledge on the growing of willows (the adaptation of different species and cultivars to different climates and growing conditions) and to explore the use of willows (basketry, timber production/biomass, windbreaks, soil stabilization/amelioration, and special uses).  This knowledge will be accumulated through an annual Network Survey of growing activities the previous year.   There is an annual Newsletter."

There were approximately four hundred members of the Network in 1993.  The Newsletter has grown from 12 pages in 1989 to 27 pages in 1993; there were 16 pages in 2000.  Newsletter No. 4 included articles on willow growing; coppice; windbreak willows; willows for erosion control; a how-to willow basketry article; willow playhouses; Ken Scott's latest paper entitled "Willows in the Service of Man"; Amana colonies willow growing and basketry; bentwood trellis article; insects and diseases; and the regular 'Response', 'Willow Exchange' and 'Bits and Pieces' columns.

Publications

English Basketry Willows carries a large selection of books on the growing and identification of willows.  Please refer to our catalog for these publications.