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Timber Harvesting Plan template
Products
Private
forests can be carefully managed and designed to provide a wide range of
products and environmental services. Products produced from private forests may
include:
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Timber: sawlogs, pulpwood and firewood.
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Non-timber products: oils, seed, foliage, etc.
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Environmental provisions: carbon sequestration, water quality, biodiversity
etc.
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Many factors will
affect the value of your timber products at the mill or elsewhere. These may
include:
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Tree species;
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Size of the logs
(diameter) and length;
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Age;
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Straightness;
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Presence of defects,
such as gum pockets, knots or growth stresses;
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Access for harvesting;
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Size of the plantation
or forest (scale); and
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Uniformity of the
stand.
Markets
for forests products change rapidly, so you should think seriously about what
products might be valuable in the future.
Some of the common tree species planted and utilised in the Gippsland region for
commercial purposes include:
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Species |
Common products |
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Tasmanian blue gum, Eucalyptus globulus ssp.
Globulus |
Pulp,
posts
and poles, construction and building framing, flooring, firewood. |
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Shinning gum,
Eucalyptus nitens |
Pulp |
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Radiata pine,
Pinus radiata |
Pulp,
sawn
timber,
preservative treated timber, building and framing. |
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Southern mahogany,
Eucalyptus botryoides |
Firewood,
posts
and poles, sleepers, heavyconstruction, building framing, panelling,
veneers, mouldings, internal flooring, furniture. |
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Yellow stringybark,
Eucalyptus
muellerana |
Firewood,
posts
and poles, sleepers, heavy construction, building framing, panelling,
veneers, mouldings, internal flooring, furniture |
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Mountain ash,
Eucalyptus regnans |
Pulp,
sawn timber.
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Red ironbark,
Eucalyptus sideroxylon |
irewood,
posts and poles, heavy construction, flooring. |
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Blackwood,
Acacia melanoxylon |
Feature timber,
panelling, veneers, furniture, craftwood. |
Markets
Harvesting and marketing timber products is
commonly a foreign area of expertise for many landowners, so you should learn
about what markets are existing in industry in your region and how you will get
access to these markets, and you will need to consider how these markets may
change over time. Being able to capitalise on the sale of your products will
depend on having a product that is in demand.
You should talk to timber processors in
your region about the specific characteristics they are looking for in their
logs; as it is important to remember that a good log is worth much more than a
poor log at the mill door. Timber specifications such as species, branches,
colour and presence of defects will affect the value of your wood.
You should consider your harvesting options
then talk to contractors in your region about what will affect your logging
costs. For example, small plantations on steep sites are expensive to harvest
and will only be viable if the trees are of very good quality.
As timber is a heavy product it is rarely
transported more than a few hundred kilometres. This will be a limitation to
which market opportunities you will have access too. As harvesting and wood
transport costs will be affected by the size of your forest and site conditions,
it is important to make sure:
You may decide to harvest the trees
yourself. If taking this avenue you will need to consider what skills you will
need to undertake the harvest and how much it will cost you to acquire the
relevant equipment. Chainsaws and tractors may only be effective if the stand
has open and easy access and where the timber is of good size and quality.
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