The shade and large volume of fertilizer value delivered when the leaves fall make the Empress tree a great cover/companion crop at 12 foot spacing, 9-10 feet between mature trees, and up to 70% light filtration. 
EG.   Ginseng, winter wheat, blueberries, grasses. 
Our Empress test plots will be testing inter cropping with Empress bushes for bio fuels (yearly harvest) amongst single stems for lumber/veneer (10 yr harvest).