Market Potential for Sheoak Fence Posts
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Farm Forestry marketing Market potential for sheoak fence posts A case study by TIM EMMOTT, Greening Australia WA ANY landowners in the south-west of Western Australia have Mestablished trees on their properties for a range of benefits including land protection, salinity control, shade and shelter and income. To achieve an income from timber, the trees need to be managed, and commercial markets for both the thinnings and sawlogs found. One potential market for the Five-year-old swamp sheoak (Casuarina thinnings is fence posts. obesa) and debarked posts from 2002 thinning operation. In the Great Southern region of WA, the Bandicoot nursery managers are growing a variety of eucalypts, acacias and sheoaks for sawlogs on their property. New tools for protecting and restoring local environment Greening Australia has developed The package comprises; a new package for addressing pri- • veg link – comprehensive techni- orities in catchments and regions cal advice, tools and training in across Australia. vegetation management Through ‘Changing Lives and • river recovery – techniques, tools Landscapes’, Greening Australia and incentives for restoring the will work in partnership with lead- op, implement and monitor catch- health of Australia’s rivers & water- ing scientific and research agen- ment based strategies for natural ways. cies to give communities access to resource management,” Chief • catchment scorecard – improving cutting edge techniques and infor- Executive Carl Binning said. regional outcomes through better mation to tackle local environmen- “Through Changing Lives and monitoring & evaluation tal issues. Landscapes we will work communi- • bush benefits – techniques, tools “The National Action Plan on ties to devise, target and deliver and incentives for conserving Aus- Salinity and Water Quality and the programs that produce the natural tralia’s unique plants and animals Natural Heritage Trust have chal- resource outcomes sought by all Further information is available lenged Australia’s regions to devel- stakeholders.” at: www.greeningaustralia.org.au 32 AUSTRALIAN LANDCARE, September 2003 Farm Forestry marketing Norman Bario of Minorba post treatment plant discussing mar- ket potential of sheoak posts with tree grower, Bill Hollingworth. It has been decided to thin three sapwood, meaning the sheoak posts accepted that post quality was not sheoak species and investigate the will need a second treatment. high enough for the retail market, potential to use the thinnings for If large numbers of hardwood but could be used as a lower quality fence posts. posts were available, the treatment ‘farm-grade’ post. The three species are: swamp plant could be adapted to treat Norman indicated that the cost of sheoak (Casuarina obesa), swamp hardwood in one schedule and still treating your own posts at his plant oak (C. glauca) and rock sheoak meet the Australian standards. A was about half the cost of buying (Allocasuarina huegeliana). sample from the sheoak posts will be CCA-treated posts from a local The trees were planted at 1000 sent to a laboratory to confirm CCA supplier. stems/ha. At age 12 to 36 months penetrations and loading. Sheoak posts can also be readily the trees were progressively form Unfortunately no genetically treated with other preservatives, and clear bole pruned, and at age improved seed was available when including high temperature creosote four years the stand was thinned to these trees were sown and this, (HTC), using the on-farm methods of 250 stems/ha and crop trees combined with the low initial hot and cold bath or cold soaking. pruned. stocking, has produced poorly HTC is an oil-borne preservative This year the trees will be five formed posts. and gives good protection from years old and will be thinned to 150 The poor form would also make it weathering. stems/ha and the retained trees high difficult to install them using a In 1994 a fence post trial was pruned to above three metres. mechanical post driver. It was established near the Wheatbelt town Thinning of the swamp sheoak of Popanyinning, which is assessing and rock sheoak stands, and treating the performance of swamp sheoak some of the posts are currently and rock sheoak fence posts treated taking place. with HTC. A sample of 100 posts (50 swamp After nine years in-service, the sheoak and 50 rock sheoak) was posts are performing well with no selected and, following debarking signs of decay or termite attack. and trimming, the posts were These posts are expected to last transported to a commercial another 10 years. treatment plant. Finding markets for thinnings Posts were then treated with will provide growers additional copper-chrome-arsenic (CCA) using income. Fence posts are one such the standard full cell treatment Greening Australia has a national con- market,; other potential markets method in a vacuum/pressure tract with Agriculture, Fisheries and being investigated include biomass Forestry – Australia to deliver Farm cylinder. Forestry Regional Support, which for green power generation and Plant manager, Norman Bario, aims to increase recognition of the firewood. indicated that hardwood posts are benefits of farm forestry among * Acknowledgement: Gary denser than pine posts and require a landowners, community, government Brennan Department of Conservation higher loading of preservative in the and regional bodies. and Land Management. AUSTRALIAN LANDCARE, September 2003 33.