The development of biomass resources as a strategy to offset consumption of fossil fuels has become a priority in the United States. Short-rotation woody crops (SRWC) are a biomass that will become more important as demand for biomass feedstock increases.  We explored the suitability of a Metasequoia glyptostroboides as a potential SWRC.  Metasequoia is a fast growing, non-invasive deciduous conifer, indigenous to China.  It is planted as a horticultural species around the world and has a broad climatic tolerance. Nevertheless its potential as a SWRC in the United States has never been evaluated.  We measured the diameter, height growth, biomass and productivity of 11 year old trees from 20 different genetic families growing in an unfertilized plantation in East Brunswick, N.J. USA.  Averaged across all families the total aboveground biomass (oven dry weight) of the plantation equaled 24.2 Mg ha^-1 after 11 growing seasons with an annual biomass yield of 2.2 Mg ha^-1.  Biomass production was spatially heterogeneous within the plantation. Cumulative aboveground biomass varied from a high of 41.2 Mg ha^-1 to a low of 14.9 Mg ha^-1 after 11 years.  These differences are due to edaphic variation within the plantation.  Biomass production also varied among families. Two families produced significantly less (p < 0.01) biomass than the 18 other families. The annual biomass yield of this plantation is somewhat lower than commonly planted, fast growing SRWC biomass species. However standing aboveground biomass after 11 years of growth is within the range reported for other SRWC planted in the United States.