Do we share similar objectives with our forestry peers across the ditch, especially in Precision Silviculture and mechanising tasks such as planting, pruning, and thinning? Last month, Claire Stewart, FGR’s Precision Silviculture Programme Manager, and Carol Rolando were hosted by Ian Last from HQPlantations in Queensland to see their innovation in action and explore deeper collaboration.
Over three days they met with HQP, Kavanagh Contracting, University of the Sunshine Coast (UniSC) researchers, and other forestry contractors and service providers across South East Queensland. The focus was to explore adoption of new technologies for implementation of precision silviculture such as mechanised planting and pruning, and herbicide application with drones; silviculture for Araucaria cunninghamii (hoop pine) and the Southern pines (Pinus elliottii, P. caribaea and hybrids), harvesting and residue management and nursery/genetics practices.
Site preparation and Mechanised planting
Mechanised planting has been tested over the past three seasons with Hoop pine and Southern Pine using the Risutec and Bracke planting heads on excavator based machines. Although the productivity of these machines has been low (1-2 ha per day depending on terrain), HQP believes starting mechanisation now is essential for future progress. Cost comparisons with manual planting are less emphasised than we have seen in New Zealand, focusing instead on benefits from improved survival, growth and uniformity and opportunities to overcome unfavourable post-planting weather with added water or hydrogels. The HQP team made the Risutec planting head available for our recent mechanised planting trial in the Top of the South region, so we will have some good data to compare notes.
Many of the sites visited had low harvest residue loads, retaining only small branches and needles, owing to whole‑tree extraction and increasing residue recovery for biomass. Local suppliers, within 80km of the sites have been set up to extract the residues which are used to create sawdust for pellets, mulch and more recently biochar. Speaking to the contractors, the markets and demand for end products fluctuate but having long term contracts with the companies, diversity in end products and being close to site means they can make it work.
Operationalising drone spraying
Drone-based herbicide spraying is making rapid progress, with contractors now able to treat as much as 150 hectares in a single day. For example, local contractor Fly the Farm is using the DJI AGRAS T100 and T50 drones in an impressive operational setup. Their custom-built trucks are equipped with generators, water tanks, chemicals, battery chargers, and networking gear to keep operations running smoothly. Operators (one operator per truck managing two drones) have a demanding role, since drone flight times range between 4-8 minutes before recharging is required. However, set up and micro-efficiencies have brought costs down to $150 per hectare. HQP also highlighted that it is not only a cost saving, but it also saves the team time compared to helicopter or fixed-wing aircraft spraying as they don’t have to be on site. Advances like machine learning for weed mapping and precision spraying open new partnership opportunities between forestry companies and research institutions such as UniSC. Furthermore, HQP’s investment in automated chemical mixing systems demonstrates their focus on safety, efficiency, and data-driven decision-making. Overall, there was a great deal to learn from how large-scale UAV spraying operations have been effectively implemented.
Innovating in Biochar and carbon markets
Contractor CarbonChip has partnered with HQP to develop a BioChar market in Queensland. CarbonChip operates the first open-top carbonator in the Southern Hemisphere and is certified by Puro.earth for carbon credits. As Biochar rapidly grows as a source of voluntary carbon credits, HQP is testing a new Biochar-based planting pot for Araucaria trees that could replace imported coir products and provide dual benefits.
Future directions
Queensland’s strong social licence for plantation forestry, combined with HQP’s Innovation Fund and international knowledge exchange, creates fertile ground for joint projects. Opportunities span mechanisation, drone-enabled precision spraying, genetics improvement, and carbon solutions—each offering pathways to enhance sustainability and productivity through shared expertise.
