[Level Up] [Doc Top] [Doc End] [Next Item] [Home Page]
Dr Glen Kile, Chief of the CSIRO Division of Forestry, said today that the contribution of research and development to extra growth of pine forests was worth more than $100 million annually.
"This benefit has come from the 16-20% increase in volume of the pine trees in the first generation of breeding. These rates of increase are expected to continue for the next three to five breeding cycles over the next 75 years," Dr Kile said.
Dr Kile was speaking of the importance of R&D for Innovation in Forestry and Forest Products at the National Forest Industry Strategy Conference being held in Canberra this week.
'This is just one example of how R&D has contributed to a profitable forest industry and there are other examples,' said Dr Kile.
"In selected regrowth forests, research indicates that growth rates of future crop trees can be increased by as much as 100% by thinning and fertilising."
These new practices are beginning to be adopted, and can increase management flexibility. In particular they can help overcome projected sawlog shortfalls in some regions.
Australia's forest industries have benefited greatly through R&D in areas such as the utilisation of eucalyptus for paper making, the breeding and silviculture of radiata pine, the introduction and broad-scale use of mechanised harvesting, the development of timber processing and preservation technology, and the development of reconstituted products and composites.
Dr Kile said, 'Australia has a proven record in R&D in the forest industries and there is a strong commitment by researchers to continue to assist industry through high quality and innovative R&D in the future'.
For further information contact:
Dr Glen Kile[Level Up] [Doc Top] [Doc End] [Next Item] [Home Page]