Graeme Palmer

Color variation and correlations in Eucalyptus dunnii sawnwood

A study of material thinned from a 9-year-old Eucalyptus dunnii progeny trial revealed that E. dunnii has light yellowish wood that is relatively uniform in color, and varies little within and between trees. The variation in color between half-sib families is small, but is statistically significant (P = 0.008). Most of the color variation relates to the yellowness (CIE b*) of the wood, which in heartwood is moderately heritable (h = 0.6). The color of the endgrain, especially its lightness (CIE L*) and whiteness index (E313), is correlated with basic density, hardness, and rates of shrinkage. The CIE rectangular opponent scale (L*, a*, b*) appeared to be the most informative about wood color and properties, and no additional information was gleaned from an analysis of full spectral data in the range 400–700 nm.

Silvicultural implications arising from a simple simulation model for Endospermum medullosum in Vanuatu

SUMMARY Whitewood (Endospermum medullosum) is a tree species that shows promise for plantation timber production in Vanuatu, but few growth data are available to inform yield forecasts. Three simple relationships summarizing stand dynamics, namely height-age, diameter-height-stocking, and mortality-basal area relationships, were calibrated with data from 15 plots to form the basis of a model for silvicultural and management decisions. Despite the simplicity of the model, it offers predictions consistent with independent data. The model suggests that the optimal silviculture involves planting 635 stems/ha, thinning at 20 and 26 years, and clearfelling at age 36 when trees have a diameter of 55 cm dbh. However, many options offer a net present value within 5% of this nominal optimum. The flexibility to vary the timing and intensity of harvests over a wide range while maintaining good financial returns, coupled with good growth and timber properties, suggests that whitewood warrants further domestication and promotion in Vanuatu.

Plantation-grown whitewood timber in Vanuatu: challenges and opportunities for export and domestic use

SUMMARY Whitewood (Endospermum medullosum) is a useful timber species, previously sourced from native forests and now available from plantations in Vanuatu. However, plantation-grown whitewood will have about 30% more knotty wood than previously experienced in logs from native forest. This will impact on the economics of growing and processing whitewood, and on potential uses of the timber. Opportunities to add value to knotty wood are to produce large section structural lumber, to recover short lengths of clear wood for furniture, and to treat heartwood with preservative chemicals to enable structural use in exposed and in-ground applications.

Enhancing agroforestry in Vanuatu: striking the balance between individual entrepreneurship and community development

Increased engagement in the cash economy is influencing a shift from traditional agroforestry gardening systems to monoculture cash cropping in many areas of Melanesia. This shift in farming practices is resulting in unsustainable practices such as increased clearing of native forests in key catchment areas. Yet there is still no consensus on how to successfully integrate the cash economy and political institutions to work within communal structures sustainably. Understanding the role of formal and informal institutions can reveal how best cultural values, the cash economy and governance can support sustainable development and resilience. Rural smallholders livelihoods and their engagement with formal and informal institutions were explored in 12 villages across the SANMA province in Vanuatu. The rural communities with the most diverse livelihood opportunities were those with good access to land, services (such as roads, regional and international markets, medical centres and education) and social support networks. Engagement with formal institutions such as government departments, non-government organisations and industry and market based entities was relatively limited to communities with good access to urban areas. Men dominated formal employment in the private and government sectors. Remote communities counterbalanced the lack of access to formal institutions and markets with a high level of engagement in informal institutions. The most important informal institutions for social support were women’s groups, which engaged in minor economic activities. Communal land tenure and traditional Ni-Vanuatu (people of Vanuatu) agroforestry perennial gardens were described as key livelihood assets and fundamental to their well-being. Promoting increased plantings of native tree species for resource production in these traditional agroforestry gardens presents one opportunity that can be inclusive of male and female smallholders. This research highlights the importance of informal community and culturally based social protection systems in supporting successful smallholder-based agroforestry enterprise development activities operating in a rural Melanesian context.

The Whitewood (Endospermum medullosum) value-chain in Vanuatu and impediments to development of a plantation-based industry

Whitewood (Endospermum medullosum) is native to Vanuatu and has been designated as a priority species for plantation development by the Vanuatu Government for timber production after exhaustion of available natural forest supplies. Domestication is well advanced, with first and second-generation seed orchards and considerable silvicultural research having been accomplished, yet development of a plantation estate has been slow. This study analyses the value chain of whitewood on the two main islands of Efate and Santo that have land suitable for growing whitewood, most of the existing processing facilities and the main markets for whitewood products. The value chain is described and pricing along the chain is presented. Interviews with stakeholders identified impediments to the expansion and development of whitewood plantations. Despite a value-added chain existing, the price available to growers often reflects native forest timber prices that are inadequate given the input costs associated with plantation development, therefore providing little motivation to grow whitewood. There is a trend in the market for the highest profits to be taken by owners of key timber processing plant such as portable sawmills, kiln dryers and preservation vessels. However, prices achieved for processed whitewood products generally do not match those of radiata pine products, indicating potential for greater returns for growers and other stakeholders. As a result, landholder participation in plantation establishment is low and is dispersed as many small woodlots. Small-scale growers and processors face technical challenges, including growing of high quality and value stems and timely treatment of sawn timber. Greater capacity for consistency of product quality and the development of new products to maximise utilisation will improve revenue flows to growers.

Using small hardwood logs to produce liquid fuels and electricity

ABSTRACT The production of larger high-value sawlogs from native forests or plantations requires removal of smaller and defective stems by thinning. This provides space for residual stems to grow into larger high-value forest products. An acceptable return on investment from growing hardwoods in plantations requires that some value is returned from thinned wood. Thus new markets are needed for small-diameter hardwood forest products. The production of fuel and energy from woody biomass offers one such opportunity. The potential value added by converting wood to high-energy liquid fuels such as petroleum or aviation fuel and the prospect of diminishing mineral oil supplies justifies research in this field. The Fischer Tropsch (FT) synthesis appears to offer substantial advantages in the capacity to break down biomass by thermal decay and chemical reformation to form a range of high energy/value fuels. In addition, these processes are exothermic, and create opportunities to produce process heat, electricity and fuels concurrently. The returns on electricity production are optimised where fuel costs are low and where the electricity produced can be used to displace retail purchasing (self-supply). The costs of harvest and transport of biomass prevent profitable production of electricity and sale at wholesale prices. The primary research goal relating to the development of biomass to fuel and electricity production is the adaption of known processes to scales dictated by biomass supplies. However, to self-supply and disconnect from the national grid implies that power plants must incorporate redundancy so energy supply can be secured. This must be achieved within acceptable capital cost limits.