Coastal areas of W. France include drained, intensively cultivated land (animal husbandry and cereals), which are typically on clay-rich soils with salinity at depth, in exposed situations. In order to assess the potential for afforestation, a trial was carried out at Triaize, N. of La Rochelle, in which 23 clones of Salix alba, 8 of Populus alba, 22 of P. tremula XP. alba, 3 of P. tremuloides XP alba and 3 of P. canescens (all 2 yr old) were planted on a former pasture (in autumn 1981) which had had one of four drainage treatments : (1) control (no site preparation), trees planted at 3X7 m spacing (476 plants/ha) ; (2) soil ridges 7 m apart, formed by bulldozer, tress planted on ridge summits at 3-m spacing (476 plants/ha) ; (3) ditches 9 m apart (2 m wide, 1 m deep) formed by mechanical digger, trees planted at 3-m intervals on ditch material (370 plants/ha) ; and (4) ditches 7 m apart (476 plants/ha). At age 9 yr, P. alba plants had greatest percentage survival (mean 87%) and best growth rate ; Populus hybrids also survived well on better drained plots (60-70%) but had the slowest growth ; Salix clones had the lowest survival rates (mean 43%) although growth, on well-drained sites, was good.