Species Profile For Gippsland

Commercial trees and plantations can be grown to produce a number of different products. Depending on the product sough by the tree grower and local markets, different management, or regimes should be implemented before a tree has even been planted.

Farm forests are generally fairly small scale, and have to compete with large scale industrial companies growing trees. This makes farm foresters price takers, and have to accept a price that is offered to them by a processor, usually set by an industrial sized tree grower. For low value, high volume products such as woodchips for paper production, the margins may be fairly thin. Margins can be higher for higher value products like sawlogs, veneer or craft timber, but will generally take longer top grow. Farm foresters may also be able to sell value added products directly from the farm, including poles, posts or firewood.

In Gippsland, there are generally 4 recognised strategies or regimes for growing commercial trees.

Eucalypt pulpwood

A eucalypt pulpwood regime is generally managed on a short rotation of between 10 and 20 years. There is no thinning, pruning and minimal silvicultural management after establishment, and only one harvesting operation at clearfall at the end of the rotation. This type of regime is suited to someone who can establish a larger area (greater than 10 ha), is located close to a pulpwood market, doesn't have a lot of time or money to put into management, with an investment horizon of between 10 and 20 years.

Clearfall

Eucalypt fibres are well suited to high quality paper production, so typically in this regime, the only product produced is pulpwood to produce high quality paper. The logs would be supplied to either the Martyvale Pulpmill, or one of the woodchip export facilities at Eden or Geelong.

Typical timeline for a eucalypt pulpwood regime
 

Age	Operation	Products Produced
0	Establishment	-
10 - 20	Clearfall	Pulpwood

As pulpwood is of relatively low value compared to other forest products, this regime is very dependent on:-

• the size of the plantation to achieve economies of scale

• the distance to the market as log prices are calculated at mill door

• the growth rates of the trees

• establishment and harvest costs

• the price of the product

Eucalypt sawlog

A eucalypt sawlog regime is normally managed on a 25 to 35 year rotation with one or two thinnings, pruning and clearfall. This type of regime is suited to someone who doesn't want to establish a really large area (5-30ha), is not located close to pulpwood markets, is able to manage the trees with thinning and pruning, and has an investment horizon of 25 - 35 years.

Thinning

Current research indicates that to produce sawlogs from eucalypts in plantations, the trees need to be kept relatively open grown to keep consistency in the density of the wood. If the trees are left un-thinned, they become too tall and thin, and then when they are thinned, they react by growing "tension wood" to stabilise the tree. This tension wood has different characteristics to the rest of the wood, and when sawn, the wood will shrink differently, devaluing the timber. Some commercial value may be realised from a thinning operation.

Pruning

If the trees are kept open grown, the lateral branches will have light available to them. The branches will grow big and leave knots in the timber, downgrading the product. The branches need to be pruned to add value to the product.

Clearfall

Clearfall is generally undertaken between age 25 and 35. A range of products will be produced, with most trees producing a knot free log of approx. 6m, a lower quality of approx. 6m, and a pulplog of approx. 6m. A number of markets exist for each of these products in Gippsland.

Typical timeline for a eucalypt pulpwood regime

As a mix of products is produced from this type of regime it is dependent on: -

• the size of the plantation to achieve economies of scale, but not so much as eucalypt pulpwood regime

• the distance and the availability of various markets

• the growth rates of the trees

• establishment and harvest costs

• the price paid for the products

• the quality, timeless and amount of management undertaken