When was the radiata pine introduced to australia

Add attribute Show information from supporting collections: On Off. View all images. Yes No. Alternative caption. Edit Delete. Add Image. Add new link. Title: Title. Description: Description.

Commercial slash pine planting began in Queensland in and this was followed by a number of other pine species, notably loblolly pine P. There has been little significant change since in the major exotic pine species planted in each of the States, except that the Honduran Caribbean pine now dominates Queensland plantings. The first commercial use of plantation pine appears to have been at Wirrabara in South Australia in In the following year the SA Woods and Forests Department established its own sawmill for the purpose and this was followed later by others as the plantations expanded and new uses developed.

Understandably there was some reluctance to accept this new timber but due to the dedication of Walter Gill, Conservator from to , and the high standards set for quality and technology this was progressively overcome. Privately-owned commercial pine plantations first appeared in the late s and the s, mainly in South Australia.

APM began to establish plantations in Victoria and Queensland as future pulpwood resources. Nutritional requirements In the s growth disorders observed in Western Australia stimulated a systematic study of the nutrition requirements of both maritime and radiata pine by Kessell and Stoate [6] of the WA Forests Department. Radiata pine is a softwood. It grows up to ten times faster than eucalypts. Its timber is creamy yellow, with distinct growth rings.

The grain is straight and carpenters easily work it, making it a timber with low natural durablility. The timber is particularly useful: it can be readily sawn for furniture production and house frames, peeled to make veneer and plywood, and pulped to make newsprint or pineboard.

Your kitchen is probably from boards processed from Radiata pine. The bark is rich in tannins, which is suitable for the manufacture of adhesives. If Radiata pine is treated with preservatives it is suitable for a long life in the ground or outside in the garden. In its natural habitat, Radiata pine is not grown for timber production since it has poor form and slow growth, yet it grows well in other countries like Australia, New Zealand, Chile and Spain.

Why do you think this is so?