Soil physical limitations to growth in sub-tropical hardwood plantations. Large areas of eucalypt plantations are being established to replace native forest wood production in many areas of Australia. A major impediment facing the industry in subtropical eastern Australia is inappropriate site species matching. This is largely due to lack of understanding of the major soil types in the region and the effect on growth of different species. This project will compare site productivity and soil ch ....Soil physical limitations to growth in sub-tropical hardwood plantations. Large areas of eucalypt plantations are being established to replace native forest wood production in many areas of Australia. A major impediment facing the industry in subtropical eastern Australia is inappropriate site species matching. This is largely due to lack of understanding of the major soil types in the region and the effect on growth of different species. This project will compare site productivity and soil characteristics in two major hardwood species and investigate fundamental relationships between soil characteristics and tree root growth. The outcome will be a mechanistic understanding of soil physical limitations to tree growth.Read moreRead less
Mixed species plantations: does diversity help tropical eucalypts grow faster, better, longer? To test the assumption that mixtures are better than monocultures, using data from experiments (QFRI) and community plantings. Growth rate, habit (form, branching), timber and soil characteristics in Eucalyptus pellita (Red Mahogany) plantings should elucidate whether mixtures:
1. grow (above-ground woody biomass) faster than pure plantings;
2. have straighter trees with smaller branches;
3. improve ....Mixed species plantations: does diversity help tropical eucalypts grow faster, better, longer? To test the assumption that mixtures are better than monocultures, using data from experiments (QFRI) and community plantings. Growth rate, habit (form, branching), timber and soil characteristics in Eucalyptus pellita (Red Mahogany) plantings should elucidate whether mixtures:
1. grow (above-ground woody biomass) faster than pure plantings;
2. have straighter trees with smaller branches;
3. improve soil fertility; and whether
4. differences are accentuated in subsequent rotations.
E. pellita has valuable dark-red timber, and is widely planted in north Queensland, despite variable performance (3-30 m3/ha/yr, average 10m3/ha/yr). Analyses will reveal opportunities for conservation outcomes and sustainable timber production.Read moreRead less
Stabilization of hydrology at waste disposal sites through revegetation. Persistent drought in the past 20 years has increased the extraction of groundwater reserves by more than 2-fold to meet domestic water requirements throughout Australia. This water resource could be threatened from poorly managed waste disposal sites, where removal of pre-existing vegetation often exacerbates adverse hydrological processes of deep drainage. This study will provide information for the waste management indus ....Stabilization of hydrology at waste disposal sites through revegetation. Persistent drought in the past 20 years has increased the extraction of groundwater reserves by more than 2-fold to meet domestic water requirements throughout Australia. This water resource could be threatened from poorly managed waste disposal sites, where removal of pre-existing vegetation often exacerbates adverse hydrological processes of deep drainage. This study will provide information for the waste management industry that has achieved an annual turnover of more than $200 million in recent years. It will present recommendations on how vegetation can be employed to meet regulatory requirements by the industry.Read moreRead less
Insect herbivore and plant responses in eucalypt forests under climate change at physiological, species and community scales. Understanding the drivers for insect populations and vulnerabilities to climate change are the first steps to predicting adaptation and mitigation strategies to minimise impacts of climate change on forest biodiversity. Our research will quantify the outcome of climate change on the still neglected but important insect community associated with eucalypts in Australian for ....Insect herbivore and plant responses in eucalypt forests under climate change at physiological, species and community scales. Understanding the drivers for insect populations and vulnerabilities to climate change are the first steps to predicting adaptation and mitigation strategies to minimise impacts of climate change on forest biodiversity. Our research will quantify the outcome of climate change on the still neglected but important insect community associated with eucalypts in Australian forests. These insect communities are widespread, diverse and quintessential for the Australian economy and ecology. Apparent climate change is expected to cause biodiversity shifts, leading to outbreaks and extinctions of insects in eucalypt forests. Negative outcomes of impacts could also include the accumulation of leaf litter, increasing bush fire activity in the future.Read moreRead less