Research on non-durable eucalypts Specialty Wood Products Research Partnership

摘要

This article provides a brief overview of the work that has been done to date on non-durable eucalypts under the Specialty Wood Products programme. To understand why and how the particular research aims and projects were selected, it is important to appreciate where the project started from in terms of the resource in the ground and to bear in mind the main industry contributors to the programme. Breeding programmes take many years to produce tangible benefits, but the new E. nitens and E.fastigata seed orchards should produce trees with better sawn timber and veneer properties, and which will be widely available. The product development work has achieved gains in some specific areas. The eucalypt health work has potential benefits for all growers.The stumbling block for small-scale growers at present is the disparate specialty timber value chain. The early work on developing the small-scale sawmilling sector has been supported but more work is needed on all parts of the value chain before sustainable markets develop for small-scale growers of non-durable eucalypts.