TREE PLANTING

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PHOTO 1 shows what the farm was like after I had been living here for about a year. This is the only photo that I have from this period since I didn't particularly believe in photos and I was probably daunted about recording the size of the problem and the time and effort needed for a solution that suited the environment and gives me a farm income. If you dig down into the bed of the creek, you usually go through several feet of black silt, and there may be an 8 inch layer of coarse sand often associated with boulders. This would have been the old creek bed. Sometimes in the boundary between the sand and the silt, there can be found, some staghorns and some leaves which can also be identified. They have been preserved in the mud and silt.

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PHOTO 2 shows the depth of silt above a layer of rocks and sand. Now that the trees have been planted on the slopes again, there is insignificant soil erosion into the creek bed and the water course has to now erode back down to the stable level of the old creek bed. In this photo, there is a small log in front of the dog. This is a piece of red cedar from a tree that was cut in the pioneer days. It also shows how durable red cedar is. This was picked up just downstream from where the photo was taken.

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PHOTO 3 shows my farm now, from an adjoining dairy farm. The approximate boundary is the tree line between the pasture and the planted and natural regeneration forest. The back boundary goes from almost the left side of the photo, just this side of the skyline. At the back of the photo is the Beenham Range and then down to the right along the ridge top, in the middle distance down to the pasture again. The road to the property is just indicated as a row of wattles going from the bottom left hand of the photo, to my front gate where the treeline starts.

I'm located on the west side of the Beenham Range while just on the other side of the range was the boyhood farm of W.D. Francis of "Rainforest Trees of Australia".' Rainforest on granite soils on the Beenham Range is given a brief mention in his book of 1929. Twenty five years later, and most of the farm has been either replanted, with a variety of trees or by natural regeneration. Most of the large areas available have been planted.

This year I will not be doing much planting, as I am well behind schedule with the maintenance of my young trees and keeping them weed free. Initially, I mostly planted hoop pine, the local rainforest pine tree; and Gympie Messmate, a local hardwood (Eucalyptus cloeziana); with the occasional flooded gum (Eucalyptus grandis). Hoop pine has some very desirable characteristics. It is very tough being able to grow in relatively poor soils and able to survive dry conditions. It is also not grazed by cattle and so this area does not need fencing, although they do trample on a few. The wood is of high quality but the problem is that the market is being supplied by the Queensland Forestry and so it will never be in short supply.

PHOTOS 4,5 & 6 below show the sequence of events on a very hard and dry northern slope.

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PHOTO 4 is from the 1920's or 30's and was given to me by the original owners. It was taken after the forest had been cleared and the slope was being used for grazing. Small erosion gullies are just starting to form. Sometime later, parts of this slope were also used for small crops. This was my first large scale tree planting project on a slope which was initially planted in November, 1977. Unfortunately, December, 1977, was exceptionally dry and many died. These were replanted next summer.

PHOTO 5 shows the slope in 1985 when the trees are just starting to be seen.

PHOTO 6 is how it looks now. Initially I've planted up the steep slopes and have kept grazing on the flatter areas. Light grazing reduced fire risk and gives me some sort of immediate income. As I start to make a living from the thinnings, I hope to extend my planting program onto the better areas and eventually further reduce the number of cattle.

This slope now looks good and healthy, but we tend to forget that it was initially a very difficult site. A tree planter needs to enjoy the happy sight of trees growing on hillsides that otherwise would be just an eyesore. The gratification must come from a healthy hillside and not from the money to be made because the wait is just too long. To the left of the photo can just be seen a remnant patch of rainforest which was not cleared because it was too steep and rocky. Many trees here died in the terrible drought of 1991, but again, time has allowed for recovery. Many rainforest and naturally occuring eucalyptus trees died in this drought, but not many of my planted hoop pines which remained green and healthy.

Another sequence of change can be seen in PHOTOS 7, 8 & 9, below.

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PHOTO 7 shows the site in the 1920's or 30's with a herd of dairy cattle and the dairy. In the background can be seen , some of the original rainforest before it was shortly cleared. This area would have been my easiest tree planting area on very easy slopes and few weeds to worry about.

PHOTO 8 is the area in 1976, before being planted in December, 1978. Most of my recent tree planting projects have been very difficult because of very steep and rocky slopes with dense lantana infestations. Lantana forms an impenetrable thicket up to about 9 feet high. I brush access tracks through it and then spray using 300 foot of hose from the back of the tractor. Again hoop pine is a good species because it is 24D resistant. If for some reason the lantana starts to get ahead of the trees, I could always spray it again without damaging the young hoop pine. I've also planted up some areas with Gympie Messmate.

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The trees in PHOTO 10 (Gympie Messmates) were planted in 1977, and now some of these trees are 100 feet tall. This is an example of some of the plantings that now require thinning to give me some income and also for the health of the forest to allow the better trees to get bigger. These trees are near my front gate and act as a wind break from the dry westerly winds with my neighbour's pasture just beyond. Hoop pine and Gympie Messmate are not a good combination, as a couple of hoop pine can just be seen with the Messmates. The eucalyptus trees grow faster than the pines and then the pines are damaged as they attempt to grow through the lower branches of the messmate. Since this was formerly a rainforest site, I tend not to plant eucalyptus species and prefer rainforest trees.

Recently I have favoured Queensland maple, (Flindersia brayleyana) but only in my best sites with good soil and plenty of moisture. I have seen some 1930's planting of this north Queensland tree, here in south Queensland, and I was very impressed and so I have tried growing some here and so far they seem very good on the better sites. They have some desirable characteristics such as appearing very healthy and vigorous plus the wood is a high quality cabinet timber that is lyctus borer in the sap wood. PHOTO 11 shows a November 1993 maple tree now.

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In this little plantation, I have also tried to grow the other three species of Queensland maple (Flindersia brassii, laevicarpa, and pimenteliana) but none of these are anywhere near as vigorous and as good looking as the common maple. Is there anyone else out there who is growing Queensland maple, because I'd be interested in discussing with them their observations as to their growth habits. I'd like to know what they think of their genetic variability, vigour and form. The other interesting feature of my farm forestry venture is that I also grow red cedar (Toona australis).

Red Cedar is Australia's premium cabinet timber with a rich history of exploitation and fine furniture making that goes back to the time of Australia's original settlement. In 1989, I cut and sold a damaged tree and did quite well out of it. This prompted me to do an inventory of all my naturally occuring trees, and while I was there, measuring each tree, I also cut the vines off them and removed competing wattles and generally checked their health. By straight forward methods, I calculate that I have a standing volume of about 80 cubic metres of cedar. This may seem very good and valuable, which it is, but unfortunately, most of these trees are only small. For cedar trees to be worthwhile, the trees need to have a diameter of about one metre. Unfortunately, I only have one tree of this size. Although there are some wide boards in the butt log, there are still plenty of narrow boards in the top logs. The tree that I cut was an open grown tree that couldn't have been older than seventy years.

The point is that the quickest return for cedar comes from open grown trees with a short butt log and with a big healthy crown. All the crown's vigour goes into the diameter growth of the butt log. The top price isn't paid for long boards, but for wide boards. It is also the figured boards that are in demand and not the straight grained timber from straight logs. Consequently for the furniture and wood turning markets, I don't believe in pruning my trees because these green branches and bent stems have the best figured wood. The veneer market appears to want logs without branches, so I may prune a few trees for this market as well as a little extra diversification. Generally the trees don't grow very quickly. Maybe an inch girth each year, but a few trees in good sites can grow very quickly. The tree in PHOTO 12 is my best tree. It has grown from 32cm dbh, to 52cm dbh, in the last ten years.

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Almost all the cedar trees here are by natural regeneration and in some circumstances, they come up in their thousands. In fact, the vigour of the regeneration is a problem. The fortunate set of circumstances here, seems to have been the existence of a few remnant trees plus the granite derived well drained, sandy soils. I have planted a few cedar trees here, but I actually think that hoop pine and Queensland maple are probably better trees to grow because of their faster growth although the wood isn't as valuable. The trees here are attacked by the tip borer which does considerable damage. When the trees are less than twenty feet tall, their growth can be severely stunted, but over this height, it doesn't seem to be much of a problem.

The other naturally occuring rainforest tree that I grow here in commerical quantity is silver ash (Flindersia schottiana).This is another tree that is able to successfully invade the pasture. It is a tall upright tree with its branches in whorles like pine trees. The fine grained wood has a silver sheen and is quite tough and strong. It is also suitable for steam bending and is used in the rims of the wheels of carriages as in a horse and carriage.I have also sold some wood for the making of bows as in bows and arrows. In both cases what is required is wood of no knots and this can be done because of the growth of branches in whorles and the clear internodes.I have pruned a few trees and it has been most unsatisfactory because the trees are not able to heal the pruning scar. Consequently I do not prune silver ash. Yes, I do have silver ash timber available in both large and small sizes.

Bob Whitworth's Home Page

This home page will give a description of my farm and what can be found here for potential visitors. It isn't for selling anything but just to provide some information. I certainly appreciate visitors who have an appreciation of nature. As time allows, and if anyone is interested, I intend to tell more. I'd like to think that there are a few people out there who would be interested in a back to nature experience and to spend a few nights camping in either my hut or cave. I also have an old converted dairy closer to the house with a few more conveniences such as electricity. I have a few visitors from an organisation called Willing Workers On Organic Farms(WWOOF) where visitors do some work in return for keep and some of these visitors appreciate what I have to offer. More information can be found about WWOOF on the internet somewhere. .