IIICFRICFR Melmoth Field Day Date: Tuesday 141414 ththth November 2006 Venue: Manzini Estate & Mondi BP, Melmoth Time: 00080888h30h30 for 090909h0009 h00 PROGRAMME 08h30 TEA & COFFEE sponsored by NCT IN-DOOR PRESENTATIONS 09h00 Welcome and Introduction to events of the day ICFR Presentation on the Spes Bona and Manzini 09h10 Brian Aitken Host/NCT Estate farms 09h20 Introduction to the ICFR Prof. Colin Dyer ICFR Commercial deployment of eucalypt vegetation 09h45 Keith Little ICFR management in South Africa. Self regulation initiative to address heavy vehicle 10h10 Francois Oberholzer ICFR overloading in South Africa 10h35 REFRESHMENTS sponsored by NCT Izette Greyling/Ryan 10h50 Pests and diseases of the region. FABI Nadel 11h15 Catchment Management Agencies. Prof. Peter Roberts IN-FIELD PRESENTATIONS 11h50 Depart for field visits (include tour around Manzini Estate) 4th year results of ICFR mid-altitude eucalypt site-species interaction trials. (Visit to some of Robin Gardner ICFR the relevant species) 13h30 Depart for field stop 2 – Mondi BP Visit to Mondi’s Eucalyptus grandis x E. nitens Dean da Costa Mondi BP trial site comparing various clones. 14h00 Depart for field stop 3 - Mondi BP Eucalypt coppice management – practical Denis Oscroft ICFR guidelines Sean Smith Mondi BP LUNCH IN FIELD sponsored by Mondi BP ICFR Melmoth Regional Field Day © ICFR 2006 Page 1 About the Institute for Commercial Forestry ResearchResearch (IC(ICFR)FR)FR):: What is the ICFR and how do growers access it? Colin Dyer ([email protected])) Institute for Commercial Forestry Research, P O Box 100281, Scottsville 3209 The Institute for Commercial Forestry Research (ICFR) is an applied forest research institute owned and funded by the South African forestry industry. As such, its mandate is to conduct directed and relevant research on behalf of its members with the overall objective of contributing to a continual improvement of tree growing in a sustainable and responsible way. The ICFR’s research activities are focused in four broad areas: Tree Improvement (eucalypts and wattle); Re-establishment; Sustainable Forest Productivity and Forest Engineering, and within each of these we run several projects to address specific aspects. The ICFR operates in a multi-disciplinary, project-based way to ensure that relevant issues are addressed through the research projects. The operating model is user-driven and relies on an effective partnership between members and the research teams. The ICFR communicates its research results through a range of formats to ensure that members can make decisions to implement these. These include field day presentations and demonstrations, technical reports (bulletins and technical notes), summary documents (Annual Research Review and newsletters), scientific papers and focused workshops and meetings. Members of the ICFR can access information from the ICFR in a number of ways, from a web- based information system that contains full text reports and articles on the work that has and is being done, to one-on-one interactions at field days. Of course this information is only available to the ICFR members. ICFR Melmoth Regional Field Day © ICFR 2006 Page 2 Commercial deployment of eucalypt vegetation management standards in South Africa. Keith Little ([email protected])) Institute for Commercial Forestry Research, P O Box 100281, Scottsville 3209 During the 1990’s a number of trials were implemented in the summer rainfall region of South Africa to determine both the short- and long-term impacts of competing vegetation on eucalypt growth. Trial sites were selected according to different physiographic regions, and as such, covered a range of altitudinal, climatic and environmental gradients. Although the understanding gained from these trials allowed for the development of appropriate and cost-effective vegetation management recommendations, the operational viability of these recommendations needed to be tested on a commercial basis. Going hand in hand with this was the out-sourcing of current weed control operations in South Africa to weed control contractors and this created the need for minimum standards against which they could be assessed. Based on the results from the initial research, five eucalypt trials were initiated to test the applicability of the recommendations under commercial conditions. The costs associated with each treatment were used to determine their economic viability in terms of tree performance. Two of the trials were situated at low-altitude sites (< 1000 m a.s.l.), one at a mid-altitude site (1200 m a.s.l.), and two at high-altitude sites (> 1400 m a.s.l.). Several vegetation control treatments based on previous trial results, were developed to suit the predicted vegetation load at each site. These were applied as part of commercial operations and varied according to either weeding intensity (high, moderate and low), or area around the tree that was weeded (no vegetation control, a 2m row weeding and complete vegetation control). Following tree crown closure in all of the treatments, vegetation control operations were linked to that of tree growth performance, allowing for the development of different cost:benefit ratios. The intensity of vegetation control operations required to produce significant growth benefits decreased with altitude, as did the area that needed to be kept free from competing vegetation. In direct contrast to the two high-altitude sites, where tree performance did not benefit from vegetation control, a significant tree growth improvement was recorded for the highest intensity vegetation control operations at the two low-altitude sites. Relative to low-altitude sites, the cost:benefit ratios at the mid-altitude site indicated either a reduction in the intensity of vegetation control operations, or in the area that needed to be weeded. Take home points: Besides demonstrating the commercial applicability of research results, this series of trials: ••• Has shown that site dependent vegetation management is viable on a commercial scale, ••• Will allow the forest industry to adjust their weed control budgets on a regional scale (linked to altitude), and ••• Will provide the companies with tree growth data and associated weed control costs for various weed management scenarios within one region. ICFR Melmoth Regional Field Day © ICFR 2006 Page 3 SelfSelf----regulationregulation initiative to address heavy vehicle overloading in South AfricaAfrica.... Francois Oberholzer ([email protected]) Institute for Commercial Forestry Research, P O Box 100281, Scottsville 3209 Overloading of road transport vehicles poses a serious threat to the sustainability of the timber industry. It leads to accelerated infrastructure deterioration, increasing the cost to move freight. The Road Transport Management System (formerly known is LAP) is a project that was launched in 2003 in the timber industry to combat overloading, but also to improve driver wellness and vehicle fitness. Several other industry sectors have joined the initiative, including the Chamber of Mines, South African Aggregate and Sand Producers Association, South African Bitumen Association, The Road Freight Association and African Trucking Association. Overloading has dropped by 40% in the timber industry as a result of the project. Two concessions have been granted to accredited operators, namely “Weigh-Less” and Performance Based Standards for Heavy Vehicles (PBS). “Weigh-less” allows accredited operators to receive preferential treatments at provincial weighbridges, i.e . they will be stopped less frequently at the discretion of the traffic officials. The timber industry has also secured the right to design, build and operate two PBS vehicles. These vehicles will be designed outside the current prescriptive legislation, but with inherent safer and more efficient design features. These vehicles will also not violate any of the regulations designed to protect the road infrastructure. The GCM of these vehicles would be between 60 and 65 tons, with a total length of not more than 25 metres. ICFR Melmoth Regional Field Day © ICFR 2006 Page 4 Pests and diseases of the region Izette Greyling & Ryan Nadel ([email protected]) ([email protected]) Forestry and Biotechnology Institute Thaumastocoris in South Africa Thaumastocoris was first reported in South Africa feeding on commercially grown eucalypts in 2005. Little is known about its biology, natural enemies and control. The main commercial species of Eucalyptus that have been attacked are the E. grandis x E. camaldulensis and E. grandis x E. urophylla hybrids, although E. grandis, E. tereticornis and most recently E. smithii are also being severely infested. Initial infestations are detected by the reddening of the canopy leaves of infested trees. The progression of the infestation can be noted by the changing of the foliage to a reddish-yellow colour, coupled with the loss of leaves with branches and even entire trees dieing back, during severe infestations. Thaumastocoris is present in all the main eucalypt growing areas of the country, including Limpopo, Mpumalanga, Zululand, KZN Midlands and Western Cape. Australian researchers have discovered that a potential new species of Thaumastocoris (not Thaumastocoris australicus) is infesting Eucalyptus trees in Australia, Argentina and South Africa. To date, no biological control agents or specific insecticides exist to control Thaumastocoris . These options of control continue to be investigated. Plantation diseases: