Forestry In Western Australia "''-LIUIINIII \.......(_..J IV\.., fJ 0EPARr.1ENT DF CONSERVATION & LAND MANAGEMENT , ·tr--1-•f'"-p•:~r;.... \1VE STERN C\USTRAl.iA l j_ ij 'iJ t} tJ FOREST ·R Y IN WESTERN AUSTRALIA tOMO RESOURCECUtT'fE DEPARTMENT OF COMSERVATiON ,·1 (7) n -; rni T a LAND IIANASEMENT , •. \..., ! li.J - - WESTEg; MJITW.I A- · FOR EE-' ~IENCE.LIBRARY DEPA , ,\JT OF ·CONSEF;VA 1n ~ AND LAIQD NAGEIVleN'f WESTERN .::i TR'Al!A Prepared Under the Direction of W. R. WALLACE Conservator of Forests (1)-75592 PREFACE "Fores try in Wes tern Australia" was first published in 1957, revised in 1966, and now a third edition has become necessary. The numerous enquiries, both technical and general, received by the Forests Department show that the people of Western Australia are becoming increasingly aware of the import­ ance of their forest heritage and of the necessity for its conservation, efficient managenient and multiple use. By world standards the hardwood forests of this State are relatively limited, but while they have proved adequate for our past needs the time is fast approaching when growth in population, industrial expansion, and mining will impose considerable strain on the forest resource. Every endeavour is being made to anticipate these demands by improved methods of silviculture, protection and management, while the softwood plantation areas of the State are being currently increased at the rate of 6,000 acres (2,428 ha) per year to achieve 250,000 (101,175 ha) by the end of the century. "Fores try in Western Australia" has been prepared by officers of the Forests Department to provide, in some measure, an account of the practice of forestry in this State. For simplification scientific and technical terms have been avoided wherever possible so that the principles of forest management may be more readily appreciated by the layman. More detailed information and any specific aspect of forestry not covered in this book is, of course, available by direct application to this Department. Periodical revision of this publication will be made and any suggestions for its improvement will be appreciated. Conservator of Forests CONTENTS Page CHAPTER I-FORESTRY AND FOREST POLICY 9 Forestry 9 The Value of Forests 11 Forest Policy .. 17 Forest Policy in W.A. 17 Forest Economics 18 CHAPTER II-THE FOREST ENVIRONMENT 20 Forest Botany 20 The Forest 35 Birds of the South-West Forests 41 Native Mammals of the South-West Forests 44 Forest Conservation 45 CHAPTER III-FOREST FORMATIONS OF WESTERN AUSTRALIA The Jarrah Forest 47 The Karri Forest 56 The Tuart Forest 67 The Wandoo Woodland 70 The Mallets and Other Tannin Trees 77 Forests and Woodlands of the Semi-Arid and Arid Regions of W.A. 80 CHAPTER IV-FOREST PROTECTION 96 Fire Protection 96 Forest Pathology 110 Insect Pests of the Forests 122 CHAPTER V-PINE PLANTATIONS IN WESTERN AUSTRALIA 130 CHAPTER VI-FOREST MANAGEMENT 145 CHAPTER VII-THE HARVESTING AND MARKETING OF FOREST PRODUCTS (UTILIZATION) 155 Forest Products 155 Hardwood Logging Operations 158 Sawmilling 167 Seasoning of Timber 169 Preservation of Timber 172 Pine Harvesting and Marketing 173 Page CHAPTER VIII-FOREST RESEARCH 177 CHAPTER IX-TREE PLANTING .. 186 BORONIA 189 SAND DRIFT RECLAMATION 190 CHAPTER X-TRAINING IN FORESTRY 192 CHAPTER XI-SAFETY IN FORESTRY 195 LIST OF COLOUR ILLUSTRATIONS COLOUR PAGES-CHAPTER II between 32 & 33 Yellow-tailed Thornbill or Tom Tit Splendid Wren Yellow Robin Purple-crowned Lorikeet Red-winged Wren Numbat or Banded Anteater Short-nosed Bandicoot Brown Thornhill Rufous Tree Creepers Rainbow Bird COLOUR PAGES-CHAPTER III between 64 & 65 Illyarrie Karri trees after summer bark-shed Red-flowered gum Mottlecah APPENDICES Page I-W.A. EUCALYPTS-LIST OF COMMON NAMES 198 II-W.A. EUCALYPTS-LIST OF BOTANICAL NAMES OF TREES, MALLEES AND MARLOCKS . 200 III-SUMMARY OF FOREST PRODUCTS EXPORTED SINCE 1836 202 IV-SUMMARY OF FOREST PRODUCTS IMPORTED SJNCE 1848 204 V-SUMMARY OF LOG VOLUMES PRODUCED IN W.A. SINCE 1829 205 VI-SUMMARY OF THE PHYSICAL PROPERTIES OF SOME W.A. TIMBERS 206 VII-PLATE INDEX 207 VITI-SUBJECT INDEX 209 ln view of the forthcoming changeover to the metric system of measurement, figures in this bulletin are given both in standard units and their metric equivalents. CONVERSION FACTORS USED IN THIS BULLETIN LENGTH 1 centimetre = 0 · 3937 in. 1 inch = 2·540 cm. 1 metre = 3·281 ft. 1 foot = 0· 3048 rn. 1 metre = l ·094 yd. 1 yard = 0·9144 m. 1 kilometre = 0·621 mile 1 mile = 1 ·609 km. 1 yard = 3 ft. = 36 inches 1 mile = 1,760 yards = 5,280 ft. i AREA 1 cm2 = 0 · 155 sq. in. 1 sq. in. = 6·452cm2 1 m2 = 10·76 sq. ft. 1 sq. ft. = 0·0929 me 1 km.2 = 0 · 3861 sq. mile 1 sq. mile = 2 ·59 km.2 1 hectare = 0·003861 sq. mile 1 sq . mile = 259 ha. 1 hectare = 2·471 acres 1 acre = 0-4047 ha. 1 sq. kilometre = JOO hectares 1 sq. mile = 640 acres VOLUME I cm3 = 0·061 cu in. 1 cu. in. = 16·39 cm 3 1 m• = 35·31 cu, ft. 1 cu. ft. = 0·02832 m 3 1 m' = 0·706 loads* 1 load''' = 1·416m' 1 litre = 61 cu. in. l cu. in. = 0·01639 litre I litre = 0·2642gal. (U.S.) I gal. (U.S.) = 3 · 785 litres 1 litre = 0 · 2200 gal. (Imp.) 1 gal. (Imp.) = 4 ·546 litres 1 litre = 1,000 cm 3 1 gallon = 4 quarts MASS 1 kilogramme = 2 · 205 pounds 1 pound = 0·4536 kg. 1 metric ton = 1 · I 02 short tons I short ton = O· 9072 metric ton 1 metric ton = O· 9842 long tons 1 long ton = l ·016 metric tons I PRESSURE I kg. per m2 = O· 2048 lb. per sq. 1 lb. per sq. ft. = 4 · 882 kg. per m2 ft. 2 2 I gr. per cm = 0·0142 lb. per 1 lb. per sq. in . = 70 ·31 gr. per cm • sq. in. DENSlTY I kg. per m3 = O· 06243 lb. per 1 lb per cu. ft. = 16 · 02 kg. per m 3 cu. ft. I I ! OTHER 1 m 2 / ha. = 4 · 356 sq. ft./acre I sq. ft. / acre = 0·2296 m 2/ha. 1 m 3/ha. = 14·29 cu. ft/acre 1 cu. ft. / acre = 0·07 m'/ ha. *This measure ( I load 50 cu. ft.) is commonly used in the W.A. timber industry. 9 CHAPTER I FORESTRY AND FOREST POLICY Forestry · The Value of Forests Forest Policy Forest Policy in Western Australia Forest Economics Forestry Forestry has been described as a science, an art and a business and may be defined as the human activity directed to the management, protection and utilization of forest resources. It concerns the yield of the land and is therefore a form of primary production dealing with a replaceable or renewable resource. It aims to regulate the present-day harvesting of the forest to ensure the continued availability of forest produce at a max imum level, in perpetuity. It is also concerned with improving the quantity and quality of forest resources to meet effectively the increasing demands of a rising population. Utilization of produce was the first aspect of forests with which men were con­ cerned, hence Forest Utilization is the oldest branch of forestry. Later, men beg·an to notice that forests in the immediate neighbourhood of centres of civilisation were becoming depleted due to overcutting. Action taken to protect remaining areas from external exploitation resulted in the development of Forest Protection. Originally designed to guard against man's wastefulness, protection later extended to the preservation of forests against injuries by animals, insects, competing vegetation, wood-destroying fungi, fire and other destructive agencies. With experience it was found that protection alone was not enough to safeguard the forests' resources. Laws were enacted to enforce more efficient control of cutting and to restrict it to the actual productive capacity of the forest. Forest Management was evolved to meet the problem of calculating the annual or periodical growth and planning for its orderly utilization. Even then the whole picture was not complete. Following cutting, it became evident that regeneration of the forest by natural seeding was not always adequate, and artificial aids became necessary to establish a satisfactory crop. Constant care and attention throughout the life of the trees was also found essential to produce the maximum growth of the type and quality of timber required by the community and thus Silviculture was developed. Silviculture is concerned with the regeneration and tending of forests from the seedling to the mature tree. In addition to the main branches of Management, Silviculture, Protection and Utilization, such fields as Policy, Mensuration, Soil Science, Surveying, Wood Technology, Recreation, Meteorology and Engineering are all necessary for the scientific management of forests. As an appreciation of the need for conservation and replacement of our forests arose, so Forestry developed as a science to deal with all aspects of the formation, treatment, and preservation of the forest environment. Fcrcstry new stands as a profession requiring at least four years of intensive University training before the young forester is considered competent to begin his work in the forest. 10 FORESTRY IN WESTERN AUSTRALIA Plate I Karri forest near Pemberton. Such scenic drives offer enjoyment to all. FORESTRY AND FOREST POLICY 11 The Value of Forests The value of forests to the community can be grouped into four broad categories: Productive Protective Recreational Social The Productive Function of Forests In our daily lives we are surrounded by material produced from trees.