Forests of Western Australia

The southwestern part of Western Australia is known worldwide for its fine coastal scenery, the Margaret River wine region, the great city of Perth, fine hardwood forests of karri, jarra and tingle, and its mediterranean climate. To tree people blue gum is also high on the list. As part of our Australia Forest Study Tour, we went to the area in February 2006 to have a look,

Almost a century ago Aussie veterans returning from the first world war were repatriated to “Soldier Settler Blocks” in the area, known as the Great Southern. Each veteran received with a state land grant of 50 hectares of forest on one of earth’s great artesian aquifers. All that was required was for the would-be farmer to clear the bush, a dense tangle of eucalyptus, melaleuca and acacia forests, for agriculture. After a few years of fires and some hard work, traditional agriculture in the form of wheat production and sheep grazing became the norm. Rural communities sprang up and settlement of the farthest end of the world was underway.

The mighty tingles (Eucalyptus jacksonii) in the Valley of the Giants are over 500 years old

An unforeseen consequence of the region’s agricultural expansion and the removal of thirsty native eucalpyts was a rising water table. This dissolved long crystallized salts locked in the upper soil horizons. The water table is now very high with salts. Today those wheat and sheep grazing practices have become less productive, uneconomic and are known to be unsustainable. Some estimate that West Australia is losing a football field ever 2. This situation must be turned around and blue gum plantations seem to be doing the job. These land uses are ushering in an age of forest management, short rotation plantation and agroforestry approaches.

We were well received by WA forestry and land management professionals, who entertained us, showed us the forests, environmental problems and the solutions they are developing. Extension forestry is a function of the federal government which in 1993 helped to create local partnerships which worked with international investors to create a hardwood chip industry. Today the region is producing high quality chips, clear hardwood lumber, and building materials for growing Australian and Asian markets-- a (AUD) $2 billion industry.

Rayonier Plantations from 2005

Blue Gum Planted 2004

Lignor--A new hardwood lumber made from Blue Gum chips. Right a stationary chip mill.

5 Year Blue Gum near Albany

A chip provenance of blue gum (E. globulus) is being planted on previously cleared agricultural land. Investors took advantage of tax breaks to build this new industry. Many farmers sold their land to “Great Southern Plantations Corporation” and “Timbercorp”. Others entered into “sharefarming” agreements, leasing their land to industrial forest managers for one or more 5-year rotations. “This has actually been a savior for farming communities here. It was such a sad situation.” says Julia Levinson, a community forester in Albany. “Though initially we did not get the yield we thought we would, we have flat land and lots of it”. That land sells for about AUD $500 per hectare (no ocean views here, Australia also has a world class real estate boom underway).

The industry is planting 7000 hectares of new blue gum this year. Provided the seedlings are planted after a good rain irrigation is not generally required. To stimulate growth the City of Albany is experimenting with irrigating blue gum plantations with treated municipal waste water. Plantation trees are harvested and immediately chipped in the field. In 2006 the region expects to export 900,000 tons of clean chips—a shipload each week—from the recently completed chip port facility in Albany. The chips become high quality paper for markets in Japan and China. A second rotation is by coppice or replant. The most saline sites are planted with swamp she-oak (Casuarina obesa) which is popular in commercial “environmental forestry”. Pinus pinaster has also been found to be fairly salt tolerant.

Environmental protection is not ignored. Laws exist against clearing natural vegetation. . To encourage private native forest conservation, property tax “rates” on native private “bush forests” have been eliminated. Though Australia has not signed Kyoto, Great Southern foresters are well aware of climate change issues. They already recognize that carbon credits may play a big part in the end game in restoring the region’s forests.

Extension forester Richard Moore is also working with local farmers on their private lands. He is experimenting with a variety of very promising species, Eucalyptus grandis, E. globulus, E. maculata, E. saligna, Acacia melanoxylon to demonstrate that local plantations can produce high value clear hardwood lumber over a 20-25 year rotation.

New technologies are coming on-line. A fine hardwood chip board known as “Lignor” is being produced locally for furniture production and eventual export. Blue gum and the native karri are the best raw materials for this product. A sandalwood industry has been developed in the region, producing aromatics, oils, soaps, herbal supplements and other value-added products from diminishing WA stocks of native sandalwood. To avert a shortage sandalwood is now being grown in plantations and commercial production is expected at age 20. Demand is virtually unlimited in Asian markets and so locals consider that the industry can soon become a huge economic boost to the region. A recent FPC plan known as “2020 Vision” projects that blue gum plantation area will be trebled in the next 15 years.

Richard Moore shows Barbara Gaman his experiments in 25 year rotations that produce clear logs of a number of Eucalyptus species including spotted gum and blue gum. Julia Levinson of Timber 2020, Albany, shows us around

State Forestry: Native Forest Management

We visited foresters Wayne Keals and Richard Moore in the area near Margaret River wine region, just west of the great southern. Huge tracts of “National Park” land are designated forever wild. Outside of national parks and reserves Keals of the Forest Products Commission (FPC) and his colleague Moore at the Department of Conservation and Land Management (CALM) are managing about 400,000 ha of the area native forests for timber—75% of it public land. To avoid conflict of interest among government agencies CALM holds and protects the public trust land while FPC manages it. These forests of native karri, jarra, black butt and other species are working forests. They are managed per long term CALM approved forest management plans on a 80-100 year rotation with multiple thinnings along the way. Stream protection, rare plant surveys, and wildlife habitat enhancement are standard practices. Cultural resources are identified, protected and recorded in a regional database. Forest pests include Phytopthora cinnomomum, armillaria mellea and the forests are managed to limit the spread of these pathogens. The poison 10/80 is used to control exotic red fox populations which have decimated the native marsupials including rare quokka’s and others.

Australian native forests evolved with frequent fire. Today prescribed burns, each burning thousands of acres on an 8-10 year fire return cycle, are standard practice. Urban wildland interface concerns are similar to those in western US although in most inland areas population is sparse.

Forester Wayne Keals is managing of 30 year old native Karri native forests

My thanks to Henry Esbenshade, Charles Peaty, Julia Levinsion, Wayne Keals and Richard Moore for helping us with this inspiring tour of Western Australia forestry. These are people with a can-do attitude to modern forestry issues, and they are making a difference.

Tax Incentives, Conservation Agreements and other Programs areprotecting Native Bush on Private Lands