State Forests of New South Wales
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
rrreeessseeeaaarrrccchhh aaannnddd dddeeevvveeelllooopppmmmeeennnttt aaannnnnnuuuaaalll rrreepppooorrrttt 222000000333---222000000444 STATE FORESTS OF NEW SOUTH WALES Research and Development Division Annual Report 2003/2004 Our Mission Research and development that underpins innovative sustainable forest management systems, adds value to State Forests’ key objectives and benefits the people of New South Wales Research and Development Annual Report 2003/04 is a supplement to the State Forests Annual Report an d Social, Environmental and Economic Report 2003/04 Front Cover: Squirrel glider feeding on flowers of a five-year-old blackbutt plantation tree Photo: Alison Towerton ISSN: 1444-5441 (Online) Table of Contents Foreword.................................................................................................................................. 1 Management Team...................................................................................................................1 Research Services................................................................................................................... 2 State Forests Library ............................................................................................................... 3 Tree Improvement ................................................................................................................... 5 Vegetative propagation of eucalypts ................................................................................ 5 Eucalypt species, hybrid seedling and provenance testing.............................................. 6 Establishment and management of eucalypt breeding populations ................................. 8 Seed production of select eucalypt varieties .................................................................... 8 Development and testing of eucalypt clones.................................................................. 10 Australian Low Rainfall Tree Improvement Group (ALRTIG) ......................................... 11 Softwood tree improvement – radiata pine..................................................................... 12 Softwood clonal testing................................................................................................... 12 New Forests........................................................................................................................... 14 Carbon in forests ............................................................................................................ 14 Life cycle analysis of wood products .............................................................................. 15 Benchmark salinity control and carbon sequestration in western New South Wales ..... 18 Sub-catchment impacts of tree planting on salt mobilisation, stream water quality and flow........................................................................................................... 19 Dryland salinity trials....................................................................................................... 20 Maximising growth and determining preferred species for mine sites in the Hunter Valley.............................................................................................................. 21 Nutrition, growth and wood density ................................................................................ 27 Silvicultural Systems.............................................................................................................. 28 Characterising the pine resource.................................................................................... 28 Value recovery studies– an integrated approach ........................................................... 29 Silviculture spacing trials ................................................................................................ 30 Improving the processing of timber from plantation forests: the challenge of managing variability................................................................................................ 31 Non-destructive evaluation of wood properties in planted forests.................................. 32 Hardwood plantations - maximising seedling survival.................................................... 33 Hardwood plantations - matching species to site ........................................................... 34 Early plant growth of eucalypts in response to fertiliser application ............................... 34 Wood properties of plantation hardwoods...................................................................... 35 Water quality monitoring for the Environment Protection Licences ................................ 37 Forest Health Management ................................................................................................... 39 Forest health surveillance of softwood plantations......................................................... 39 Forest health surveillance of hardwood plantations ....................................................... 39 Stem borers in eucalypt plantations ............................................................................... 40 State Forests of NSW insect collection .......................................................................... 41 Clonal eucalypts resistant to pest and diseases............................................................. 41 Airborne assessment of forest health in pine plantations............................................... 42 Airborne assessment of native forest dieback in North-East Region ............................. 42 Soil-applied insecticides for eucalypt plantation establishment...................................... 43 National harmonisation of methodologies for the assessment and reporting of crown damage in eucalypt plantations ................................................................... 43 Termite and Power Pole Evaluation Research (TAPPER) Project................................. 44 Forest Biodiversity ................................................................................................................. 45 Ecology of birds and non-flying mammals in managed forests ...................................... 45 Response to disturbance................................................................................................ 47 Indicators of ecological sustainability in managed forests.............................................. 49 Wildlife in eucalypt plantings .......................................................................................... 50 Bat ecology in managed forests ..................................................................................... 52 Response to disturbance................................................................................................ 53 Effect of logging on nectar production in eucalypts........................................................ 55 Nectar maps for flying foxes........................................................................................... 55 Ecology of pygmy possums in managed forests ............................................................ 56 Managing frogs and reptiles in the forest environment................................................... 56 Pond requirements of frogs and effects of disturbance on frogs .................................... 57 Green-thighed frog monitoring program for the Roads and Traffic Authority ................. 58 Wildlife Schools .............................................................................................................. 58 Co-operation with Other Organisations ................................................................................. 59 Special Purposes Permits for Research ................................................................................ 65 Published Papers, Reports and Presentations...................................................................... 74 Staff List and Location (30 June 2004).................................................................................. 81 Foreword State Forests’ research and development objectives are delivered primarily through its Research and Development Division. The Division provides strategic research support and scientific leadership to the organisation’s operational, policy and resource Divisions. Its primary focus is on innovative scientific development in fields which can add value to the planted forests, investment services and native forests businesses of the organisation. The Research and Development Division is structured around five scientific Programs: • Tree Improvement • New Forests • Silvicultural Systems • Forest Health Management • Forest Biodiversity Research priorities and strategies are established with input from all sections of the organisation through regular planning and research delivery meetings. State Forests’ goals currently focus on expansion of the State’s planted forests and marketing the environmental benefits to be derived through the strategic location of planted forests in the landscape. Research emphasis has included investigation of the issues impacting the establishment, management and product quality of sustainable planted forests in lower rainfall areas as well as the traditional higher rainfall zones. Significant work has been directed at establishing the benefits of planted forests for such purposes as carbon sinks, mine-site rehabilitation, biodiversity enhancement and the development of sustainable land use practices for salinity-