Time to end the radiata boredom

摘要

AS FORESTERS WE JUSTIFY our enthusiasm on the grounds that. New Zealand (and the global market) needs quality decorative and special-purpose timbers. In our more honest moments we admit that we are bored with the radiata pine monoculture. But the niche market argument is valid. Radiata pine is not an all-purpose timber and New Zealand's limited indigenous resource cannot fill the gap. We currently import around NZ 350 million dollar, or 60,000 m~3, of specialty timbers and there are no signs of a slowdown - this fact alone proves alternative plantation species are needed. Kwila patio furniture is ubiquitous, energetically promoted and enthusiastically received, sustainability is rarely questioned.