Most structural timber framing used in Queensland's construction industry comes from the State's 150,000 hectares of subtropical Southern pine plantations.
Southern pine species and wood properties vary between plantation sites, which affects the suitability of specific harvested logs for different types of products. Plantation trials show large variation in grade recovery, potentially influencing the value of sawn pine products.
Until now, plantation growers have not been able to match the quality of individual harvest stands to the specific products required by the processing sector.
This research developed a benchmark for understanding how wood properties vary between the Southern pine species and plantation sites. This will enable processors to plan more confidently for specific products from a harvest.
The extensive research effort collected wood properties and environmental data for rotation-age stands and younger stands in 100 plantations between Bundaberg in Queensland and Casino in New South Wales (NSW). The data was used to characterise the Southern pine resource and to determine the impacts of site, species group, and clearfall age on yield, quality, and product performance.
Wood properties like wood density, stability and stiffness were measured in standing trees using non-destructive, acoustic resonance technology and tree core analyses, and then validated with data from peeled billets and sawlogs. These data formed the foundation for a customised, wood value technology platform for Southern pine that can predict the value of current harvest stands and future, post-thinning-age stands.
High-resolution imagery was used to 'reconstruct' veneers peeled from the sampled sawlogs, creating a 'virtual log'. This is a convenient visualisation tool for examining the physical properties of real logs. The models also predict whole-log wood properties in standing trees and the value of virtual boards sawn from the virtual logs.
The research helps forest growers evaluate wood property variation across their plantation estates, improving returns throughout the supply chain from the plantation to the wood product.
This was a large-scale, collaborative research project between:
- the department
- University of the Sunshine Coast
- Queensland University of Technology
- HQPlantations
- HVP Plantations
- Forestry Corporation New South Wales (NSW)
- Hyne Timber.
It was funded through the Queensland Government and Forest and Wood Products Australia (FWPA), with support from forest industry contributors.
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Last updated: 14 Dec 2018