I have a poplar tree in my front yard, which was there when I bought the
house. I was only told that it's a "poplar". The thing grows like a weed,
I don't think there's been a year when it failed to put on at least 5 feet.

There has been a spot on one of the roots for a few years where it has a
very odd growth, and this year, the new, small branches have developed
similar growths. I haven't been able to find similar growths in my
googling, so I'd like to hear if anyone can tell me what this is. Hopefully
it's something that the tree can overcome, but if not, the thing is big
enough (and grows so quickly) that it would be better to take it out sooner
rather than later.

A picture of one of the growths can be found at:

http://codon.com/poplar.jpg

Thanks in advance.

steve