Wade Cornell: High Value Timber
Room 2, Saturday 9:30am
Wade has been trialing Californian Redwood and Australian timber species and seed selections for almost twenty years. Wade has identified many species that can produce high value timber in the Auckland / Northland region. Most trialed species are comparable to Radiata & Eucalyptus in rotation length but are more profitable. This reality check dispelled a few myths and raised great enthusiasm for investment in worthwhile timber species, discouraged in recent times by the dominant short-term outlook of cost-cutting accountancy. The work of Wade and Jenny was widely applauded.
Wade's passion for specialty timber trees seems to arise from combining his North American background with observing how well many tree species grow in New Zealand. He and Jenny have a most interesting property with a huge range of trees - timber and orchard - and plants. See TreeCropper 50 for a review of our 2007 Conference field trip there. He has subsequently become very knowledgable about the New Zealand growing environment. [WebEd: see TreeCropper 51 page 14 for additional information and an updated version of these notes.]
The presentation's focus on timber tree species, while exciting and inspiring, has its dangers: There are so many environmental considerations that must also be made. While some of the species at harvest can bring spectacular rewards, getting them to harvest in saleable quality can make for spectacular nightmares. And it's happening now with redwoods. Where are growers going astray?
It's referred to as the "Pinus radiata mentality". The keen kiwi forest-planter has only this one-species-experience to relate to: it can be grown by formulae almost in any part of the country regardless of soils, wind, rainfall, etc. Radiata is one of those lucky accidents for us. Internationally, it tends to be regarded as a weed tree, but here it has grown so well in our climate and geologically-young soils that it miraculously has become our default timber species. But woe betide any would-be grower who hopes to grow a specialty timber forest using the radiata methodology...
Wade warns:
"Other species require very specific environments. It would be impossible at this stage to accurately state what all the appropriate environments would be for all those species listed. Some of these species are currently in trials around the country, which may ultimately give a few clues. Some I could certainly say what environments are preferable, but the level of detail required can be daunting. E.g. I could say where Toona ciliata is likely to grow and say that extremely good shelter is necessary.
However, it is highly likely that even given that level of information the average punter will fail, as they wouldn't realize what type of shelter is necessary. Toona do not like wind at all. Horticultural shelter is not really good enough. You need to either have shelter lines very close together and potentially much taller than the crop trees, or effectively a mixed plantation. The type of shelter or other trees in the mix will also have to be considered as to their suitability for that particular environment. This can get very complex very quickly, you might imagine. Thus I don't really wish to mislead anyone into thinking that there is an easy prescriptive methodology that fits any one site (Radiata mentality)."
So, as you read the table below of the potential returns for specialty timbers, be warned that it is only one tiny piece of the jigsaw of information the grower needs. By itself, it is just pie-in-the-sky. Unfortunately, there is likely to be increasing proof of this over the next few years. Eager enthusiasts who launch into timber projects without adequate information face huge risks. There are between one and two million redwoods being planted this year. How many of these have been screened for wood properties? None, we fear. How many will fail in the marketplace? Well, what is the market for fast-grown wood from poor selections? Well, how about red pulpwood? Well, ...(your own nightmare here)...
We enthused at the demand for the specialty timbers listed below, many of which grow fast enough to be harvested within a (younger) person's lifetime. But it will be "knowing the growing" that will count at harvest time. Please do your homework before deciding what suitable selections and environment you can provide, if any in NZ, for your fancied species. Ask all the questions while outcomes are much easier to alter - that is, before you start planting! -
Wade's offer:
- "Would be my pleasure to talk with people about any of the species mentioned and help find stock they could try out and some information that might help with their success rate."
Thanks Wade for your diligence and sharing your inspiring research with us. If I had known this 40 years ago ... hey you young fellows out there with a passion for timber, take heed!
See below for Wade's contact details.
Les Gruebner
[WebEd: see TreeCropper 51 page 14 for additional information and an updated version of these notes.]
Timber Species - Potential Returns and Rotation Lengths
| Timber Species | Price per m3 | Years | m3/tree | Trees/ha | Return/ha | Return/yr/ha | Market* |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sequoia sempervirens | $410 log | 20 - 35 | 1.5 | 450 | $376,750 | $7,907 - $13,838 | L, X, |
| Sequoia sempervirens | $2000 RS KD | 20 - 35 | .9 | 450 | $486,000 | $13,886 - $24,300 | L, D, X, ND 1 |
| Acacia melanoxylon | $2294 - $2823 RS KD | 25 - 40 | .9 | 220 | $253,329** | $6,333 - $10,133 | L, X, |
| Acacia melanoxylon | $2000 - $4000 RS KD | 25 - 40 | .9 | 220 | $297,000** | $7,425 - $11,880 | S, D, ND |
| Elaeocarpus grandis | $1294 RS KD | 25 - 30 | .9 | 250 | $174,690 | $5,823 - $6,988 | S, X, ND |
| Grevillea robusta | $2470 - $2941 RS KD | 30 - 40 | .9 | 250 | $365,242** | $9,131 - $12,175 | S, D, X, ND |
| Toona ciliata | $3059 - $4941 RS | 20 - 30 | .9 | 150 | $270,000** | $9,000 - $13,500 | S, X |
| Melia azedarach | $1800 - $2250 RS | 20 - 30 | .9 | 220 | $240,570** | $8,019 - $12,029 | S,X, ND |
| Eucalyptus spp.*** | $2294 - $2823 RS KD | 35 - 45 | 2.0 | 100 | $230,265** | $5,117 - $5,117 | L, D, X, |
| Eucalyptus fastigata | $3000 RS KD | 35 - 45 | 2.0 | 100 | $270,000 | $6,000 - $7,714 | S, D, ND |
| Eucalyptus microcorys | $2823 RS KD | 25 - 30 | .9 | 220 | $279,477 | $9,316 - $11,179 | L, X, |
| Juglans nigra | $411 - $3966 log | 45 - 70 | .9 | 100 | $196,965** | $2,813 - $4,377 | L, X |
| Juglans nigra | $5000 - $6000 RS KD | 45 - 70 | .9 | 100 | $495,000** | $7,071 - $11,000 | S, D, ND |
| Lirodendron tulipeifera | $174 - $793 log | 25 - 35 | .9 | 220 | $95,733** | $2,735 - $3,829 | L,X |
| Elm | $2500 - $3000 RS KD | 35 - 70 | .9 | 100 | $185,500** | $2,121 - $4,242 | S,D, ND |
| Pinus radiata | $180 - $220 log | 25 - 30 | 1.5 | 270 | $81,000** | $2,700 - $3,240 | L, D, X, |
Note: All prices are Gross Value.
Costs of land, shelter, plants, care, pruning, thinning, harvest, milling, transport, etc. NOT INCLUDED.
RS = Rough Sawn KD = Kiln Dried
*Market codes: L= large market; S= small market; D= domestic; X= export; ND = needs development;
** average of two prices quoted
***Only high quality Eucalyptus such as pilularis, saligna, muellerana, etc.
1 comment - Cedar replacement
| 000 | = not firmly established number |
Prepared for Auckland Tree Crops Conference 2007
Wade Cornell - Diversified Forests Ltd.