Eucalypts could be an alternative to the future of the local timber industry and an insight into their potential will be explored at a free field day tomorrow. The workshop, ‘Durable Eucalypts — an Opportunity for Gisborne Tree Growers’ will be at Te Koawa Station on 1131 Whakarau Road, 50 km north-west of Gisborne. Source: The Gisborne Herald
Organised jointly by the New Zealand Drylands Forest Initiative and the New Zealand Farm Forestry Association Gisborne branch, the local landowner hosts will be Bob Wishart and Meg Gaddum.
The day will begin at 10am with presentations on the future of eucalypts as commercial forest. A two-kilometre walk to view eucalyptus forest trials planted on steep hill country will follow.
The New Zealand Drylands Forest Initiative (NZDFI) is a collaborative project that is researching and promoting best seed sources of naturally durable eucalypt species for planting on drought-prone and erodible pastoral land within New Zealand.
There is the opportunity for New Zealand growers to be first internationally to grow eucalypts to produce certified naturally durable timbers that command premium prices due to their scarcity value and unique hardwood properties.
NZDFI’s vision is for a New Zealand hardwood industry that produces high value sawn timber worth NZ$2 billion a year by 2050, grown on 3% of the 3 million hectares of East Coast drylands from East Cape to Canterbury.
Research trial plots have been planted in Gisborne, Hawke’s Bay, Wairarapa, Marlborough and Canterbury which all experience East Coast droughts.
The workshop is an opportunity to visit one of these trial sites where 46 plots were established in 2010 and 2011, containing 11 eucalyptus species of interest to this region.
Paul Millen, NZDFI’s project manager, and Ian Nicholas, forest specialist and formerly scientist with Scion will be the presenters.
