Somerset County is going green by planting thousands of trees -- and county officials said they hope it will also bring in some cash.

As part of the 1 Million Trees Program, the county has planted 15,000 saplings across 40 acres of infertile land in the county.

The poplar-cottonwood hybrids will grow 6 to 12 feet a year, which is twice as fast as regular trees. Further, their wood is ideal for making wood pellets to fuel wood-burning stoves. The wood can also be used to make cellulosic ethanol, which conservation experts said could be used to fuel cars.

The program was started by the Somerset Conservation District three years ago. Members of the group are working with students at Somerset Vo-Tech on the right soil conditions. The group is using chicken manure as fertilizer and planting the trees on old strip mines. The tree roots will also prevent runoff.

Officials such as Dave Kemp, of the conservation group, said the hope is the trees could deliver a boost to the local economy by not just planting and harvesting trees, but also for the biomass production industry.

"Eventually, if we can get … an ethanol plant established here in the area, it would be a viable source for fueling that plant," Kemp said.

The goal is to plant 1 million trees over the next decade, but the group is still working on funding and they hope a private company can take over the project.