Scion researcher Greg Steward said that he believes it is possible to grow kauri as an economic commercial timber in New Zealand. He said that the widely held view that kauri grows too slowly to be economically viable for commercial forestry is incorrect. Source: The Northern Advocate (NZ)
Scion is a New Zealand Crown Research Institute specialising in the research, science and technology development of forestry and wood-derived products and materials.
Stewart’s research of small kauri plantations in several regions of the country has shown it is possible to have kauri ready for production within 60 years. This is a rotational time similar to many European or North American species.
Apart from being environmentally advantageous as it is a native species to New Zealand, it helps provide corridors for wildlife and kauri timber has a high market value.
Steward will help the kauri museum establish a provenance trial of kauri planting seedlings from a range of locations. The aim of the trial is to monitor natural growth variability and define whether a particular region is best suited for production trees.
