Where to get some more unusual species for the Sth Gipps planting
Grevillea robusta (Silky oak) do well in Melbourne and I've seen Toona ciliata growing well on several properties in the Otways. Any suggestions on where I could get seedlings for either of these? Ideally with some information on provenance and form.
And similarly with Casuarina cunninghamiana.
We could do with an agroforestry nursery in Sth Gipps that specialised in doing farm forestry trees with proven forestry provenances. There's a bunch of nurseries that do reveg seedlings but these aren't necessarily what you want for agroforestry purposes.
All this rain means with a bit of weed removal I should be able to do some spring planting.
Tasmanian blackwood growing WWW site
This site might be of interest to anyone considering growing blackwoods.
Tasmanian Blackwood Growers Cooperative | Sustainable and profitable plantation blackwood for the future.
I've had some informative and entertaining discussions with Gordon who I think could fairly be described as passionate on this topic.
He makes a very good point that farm growers often start with the best intentions but find it hard to keep up with the pruning and thinning due to other demands on their time. A lower initial stocking rate reduces this load.
I'm thinking about 4-500 stems per hectare for the blackwoods initially with good wind protection. (Gordon suggests around 200.) Have to see how I go with the pruning and thinning.
MAI
RE Blackwood Stocking and Further Info
G'day MAI
I don't want to sound negative but I know Gordon reasonably well and he is totally off the mark with his idea of planting only 200 blackwood / ha for commercial plantations. There are no such examples in existence other than his very small planting that is only some 6 years of age (way too early to determine long term success and very site specific). I've personally surveyed blackwood plantations throughout Tassie, been to NZ and observed all their major blackwood trials and seen numerous blackwood trial sites throughout Vic.
If you want to produce a quality stand of blackwood then plant 800 sph with the aim of a final stocking of 200 stems/ha at most. If you are worried about the number of trees I am suggesting then concentrate on smaller areas to start with. All the stands in NZ and elsewhere that have produced quality results started with a selection ratio of at least4:1.
With regards to high density Radiata and low stockings I'm not aware of it happening. There are breeding programs for improved density but what has not been overcome is the density gradient that occurs with age (it can be reduced a little with clones but offset is only a few years). The first 10 years growth is referred to as the juvenile core, with wood quality increasing with age. Once timber is formed it doesn't improve, the increase in wood quality only occurs in the new growth rings. As I mentioned, the idea of grazing under pruned Radiata has been abandoned and low stocking / fast growth is very detrimental to wood quality of Radiata.
Growing arange of species is worthwhile and commendable, particularly in higher rainfall zones. You’ll find that majority of farm forestry trials throughout Victoria have been established in the lower rainfall zones with poorer quality soils. This is a shame, as results from lower rainfall areas do not reflect species performance at better quality sites. Blackwood is an example. Unsurprisingly, provenances from lower rainfall zones have often performed better in trials at low rainfall sites. However, such provenances are unlikely to perform at higher rainfall zones in the long-term. I am particularly critical of some forestry departments for a lack of foresight. To me it is a no-brainer. Just because a species occurs in an area doesn’t imply it can be commercially grown at that locality. Blackwood is a classic example. While planted in heaps of trials in low rainfall zones, large commercial Blackwood is only sourced from high rainfall zones. It’s a shame that some decent trials were never established in higher rainfall zones in Victoria to start with (it’s largely thanks to the work of the NZers that we have such good info about Blackwood provenances). Unfortunately, there is little information out there regarding provenance performance of many species in higher rainfall zones. You’re best bet is try and touch based with growers in higher rainfall zones that have planted alternative species such as C.cunninghamii to gain info.
Same goes for those that advocated Mountain Ash as the only species for high rainfall areas such as the Otways. I’ve been frustrated over the years with foresters who are driven by volume production. I’ve worked for organizations that have established eucalypt plantations that they perceive must have a commercial return from thinning to be viable, only to compromise their sawlog potential when markets for thinnings have not materialised, or not achieved positive cashflows from thinnings and sent contractors broke in the process. In my opinion, if you want to grow commercial sawlogs then achieve that objective and don’t let early cash flow become the over-riding factor. As far as I’m concerned, quality is a better objective than quantity.
Some information you may find interesting. I’ve learnt more from farm foresters I’ve met in New Zealand than anyone I’ve met in Australia. Some of the best farm foresters know far more about trees than professional foresters. A number of NZ farm foresters and a few professional foresters realized what it took to grow quality eucalypt sawlogs some time ago. Species such as young plantation Mountain Ash were found to have significant drying issues due to internal checking, which has proven to be even worse in E.nitens. In NZ they have also largely abandoned eucalypts from the sub-genus symphyomyrtus (species such as E.saligna and E.botryoides) due to pests and diseases that have affected health and survival, where as species from the sub-genus monocalyptus tend to be more resilient to pests and diseases.
The ash species are monocalypts but can suffer from growth stress if stockings are too high and have drying issues as mentioned. Of the ash species, E.fastigata has been found to have the best milling and drying characteristics and has good cold / frost tolerance and is a preferred species to E.nitens. However, the form isn’t as good so higher initial stockings are preferable to allow greater selection.
Another group from the monocalypts is the stringybarks, including E.muelleriana (Yellow Stringy). I’m still talking NZ where growth rates tend to be higher than we get here, but I’ve seen YS to 80cm at age 26 and photos of trees in excess of 100cm diameter by age early 40s. These sort of growth rates are only achievable at low stockings and timber quality is excellent. The most stable timber from eucs is when they are quarter sawn. From experience this means logs with an underbark diameter of 40cm+ at the small end, at breast height this means 60cm+diameter trees when pruned to ~6m. All too often I’ve seen pruned euc plantations with final stockings of 300+ stems / ha which is inappropriate – basically a Radiata pine regime applied to eucs. Keep your pruned stocking to 200 stems / ha at most (with relatively even spacing) to enable sufficient diameter growth by age 25-30. Don’t be fixated on any commercial thinning, stocking should be thinned to final pruned stems by age 6-10 depending on site and initial stocking.
While YS can’t match the ash group for growth rates, it has a number of characteristics I prefer. Wood density is significantly higher at a young age than the ashes and the gradient of density increase with age isn’t as steep, hence growth stress is not as significant, improving sawn recovery. Drying degrade (internal checking) can be significant in the ashes as mentioned, particularly E.nitens. YS doesn’t share this problem – this I believe is due to the higher density of the wood at a young age. Durability of YS is far better than the ash group and can be used for external applications such as decking and cladding with longer service life. Timber strength and surface hardness is better than the ashes. Sapwood of YS is immune to lyctus borers so doesn’t need treating. Heartwood of YS is immune to termites. Another advantage is its ability to cope with fire. The ashes are very susceptible to fire (easily killed) while YS has proven ability to rebound even following severe fire and complete crown removal. As I mentioned in a previous post, a pruned plantation with long grass underneath will not suffer from timber degrade as the fire is quick moving and heat will not penetrate the bark and damage the underlying cambium layer. Should a fire go through a pruned plantation as a crown fire then the ashes are cactus while YS will rebound.
Aside fromYS I am also a fan of Spotted Gum (C.maculata). Timber quality is better than YS and it will cope with drier sites. However, it can’t match YS for growth rates in higher rainfall sites and isn’t as frost tolerant (keeping in mind that YS can tolerate mild frosts at best). The one species that will grow as fast as the ashes in high rainfall areas, produce high density timber and can be sawn and may be successfully dried is E.globulus. However, it can be susceptible to tension wood formation which will certainly affect drying and recovery. Tension wood can be controlled with silviculture by early non-commercial thinning to final pruned stockings, but I would recommend 150stems/ha at most with even spacing. Pruned stems close together (eg: 5 metersor less as a guide) will result in unbalanced crowns, another significant causeof tension wood formation.
Only my opinion, but personally I would concentrate on the following species for high rainfall areas with good soils. Blackwood for small areas such as steep slopes and gullies that are sheltered. YS for lower valleys and mid slopes. Maculata for drier ridges and exposed areas where YS would suffer. Fastigata for cold high elevation sites or areas subject to heavy frost. A mixture of YS and Blackwood can be done but stocking needs to be lowered. Globulus probably worth a go but be wary of tension wood and not for frosty sites. Another I would grow is a cypress called Ovensii. Redwood has potential and a range of species is always worth trialling but if wood production for commercial return is the aim then concentrate on a few species and grow them well. Working in the forest industry and now in commercial sales of timber products, volume certainly helps with marketing. If a number of growers within a region are working towards growing the same product then collective marketing becomes possible.
Radiata, markets and multiple species plantings
No argument that you will struggle to compete at wholesale prices with local and overseas suppliers of commoditised construction timber. But I still intend to plant some radiata. I know I can get good quality seedlings and with appropriate silviculture I should be able to get some nice logs with good milling recovery rates. And I intend to follow the example of this chap - just down the road in Foster! - by value adding on farm and selling at retail prices to markets interested in locally grown timber.
From the AFG WWW site:
2010 State Tree Farmers of the Year
Victoria Tree Farmers of the Year 2010
Harry and Gina Baess
Property: 'Hazyna Timber', Foster, Victoria
Harry and Gina Baess are the winners of the Victorian AFG Tree Farmers of the Year for 2010. They farm a 23 hectare property near Foster in Victoria, which they purchased as a rundown windswept block in 1976, after which they began planting trees. Their property is at an elevation of 350 metres and has an average rainfall of above 900 mm. They grow high pruned pine, hardwood and a range of nuts as well as grazing cattle and sheep.
On-farm processing is a feature of this property, with trees being hand fallen, and then extracted using a combination of a winch on a farm tractor and a four-wheel-drive loader. The logs are then milled with a home-built sawmill. Furniture timber is air-dried and then kiln-dried in a home-made kiln. Selling timber for both furniture and construction has been carried out over the last 15 years.
Timber is graded and packed into 1m3 lots and sold to regular clients and also direct to the public. Furniture grade timber is dressed and sold direct to the public, often through regular advertising in the local newspapers. Sawdust is collected in 12m3 loads by a contractor for use in calf bedding and also by a local garden supplier. The timber products produced from the Baess property made up 60% of the property income, with 30% coming from cattle and sheep and 10% from nuts.
The Baess family believe they can demonstrate that their farm can support both forest and stock in a sustainable manner and that combining these enterprises results in greater profits then having either enterprise on its own.
With respect to number of species, perhaps a useful approach is as with any other venture, system design, etc to do a thorough plan covering objectives, time horizons, markets, returns, constraints in inputs such as owner time, capital and land, site conditions, risks and so on. In some cases, the obvious outcome from this design process will be a small number of species. In other cases multiple species, multiple outcomes will be the aim. Objectives might be as simple as getting a reliable return from a block with minimal involvement from the landowner in which case leasing land for a small but guaranteed return to a pulp grower may be appropriate. This was particularly rewarding during the period up the mid-2000's as rural land prices rose considerably so landowners could get a return from the trees and sell the land at a profit for a twofer. In other cases the outcomes might include stock and horticulture shelter, food, habitat, biodiversity, fine timber, construction timber, craftwood, posts, poles, firewood, riparian zone protection, steep slope erosion control and more. And it you also look at this process with some consideration for how investment portfolios are constructed, multiple species can start to look more attractive.
What I'm proposing is more along the lines of what I've seen on agroforestry farms in Middle Europe. And if you could sell hunting rights for deer in Vic even better :) I had a close up and personal encounter with Bambi on one property. That went straight off the potential purchase list as deer are very difficult to keep out, enthusiastic browsers of young trees and there's bag limits etc. That property was at Mt Best, surrounded by some lovely native forest which was obviously providing some useful habitat to this attractive but introduced species.
Lots of good stuff to be done in farm forestry in Australia
MAI