Non-durable eucalypts

SWP research was dominated by work on Eucalyptus nitens as SWP partner Southwood Exports Ltd. is a major grower in Southland.

• improving the solid wood properties of E. nitens by breeding gains
• turnover of E. fastigata breeding population; improving selection procedures for stiffness parameters
• developing and testing engineered wood products (e.g. Oriented Engineered Lumber – OEL TM)
• testing thermal modification as a way of enhancing E. nitens durability

Key achievements included:

• establishing two new E. nitens seed orchards based on enhanced solid-wood properties;
• making new E. fastigata selections incorporating wood stiffness
• testing E. nitens optimised engineered lumber (OELTM) – a product which is now industry ready
• testing E. fastigata veneer for stiffness with positive results; successfully testing glues for LVL production. LVL producers can now move towards incorporating E. fastigata into standard radiata products with confidence
• testing novel E. nitens and densified E. nitens flooring products with good results – these products have been taken up by industry
• successfully using near-infra-red spectroscopy (NIR) models to predict E. nitens wood shrinkage and cellulose content. The technique was used to incorporate these wood quality parameters into the breeding programme
• completing pre-release work and releasing a new biological control agent for Paropsis charybdis (eucalypt tortoise beetle) – an economically damaging eucalypt pest. The biological control agent was released in 2022, so it will take some time to know how effective it is.