Private landholders frequently combine grazing with the irregular harvesting of their Spotted Gum (Corymbia citriodora subsp. variegata, C. citriodora subsp. citriodora and C. henryi) dominant forests. In southern Queensland and northern NSW this forestry is an important part of the hardwood timber industry. However, productivity often is well below what could be achieved. To assist managers improve forest productivity and financial returns the project has developed:
- A set of Spotted Gum specific silvicultural guidelines for timber production on private land that cover both silvicultural treatment and harvesting.
- The Spotted Gum Productivity Assessment Tool (SPAT), a simple decision-support computer program that allows an estimation of:
- Tree growth productivity on specific sites
- Pasture development and expected livestock carrying capacity under a range of tree stockings
- Above-ground tree biomass and carbon stored in trees.
A series of experiments in Spotted Gum forests on private lands to quantify growth and provide measures of the effect of different agro-forestry regimes.
Reference Number:
PNC075-0708
Video Report:
