Thinned wood has the potential to take on plastics

The hardwood plantation industry could be made more viable if younger logs competed in the plastics market, says a Southern Cross University forester who will be presenting his proposal at the Australian Forest Growers national conference this month.

The theme of the conference, which is being hosted by Southern Cross University at the Lismore campus from October 26 to 29, is ‘Trees – the future crop for changing climates’.

Dr Graeme Palmer from the University’s Forest Research Centre will be presenting the paper, ‘Using small hardwood logs: building the business case for hardwood plantation production’.

“Wood has the potential to invade the markets occupied by plastics and bring added value in terms of sustainability and carbon emissions reductions. Achieving this will require considerable research to develop manufacturing processes that yield comparable costs of production to plastics, with comparable material properties.”

Processes under research and development included extrusion moulding, injection moulding, and finishes like powder coating (think Colorbond).

“I’ve had powder coated wood samples in my office for three or four years and they’ve remained stable and in the same form since I’ve owned them. Obviously the coating works,” said Dr Palmer.

He said there were other environmentally friendly reasons for using wood over plastics.

“Recycling of wood products within the carbon cycle can be assured through natural processes of physical or biological degrade – without expensive sorting, renovation and reuse, which are properties of many plastics.”

Dr Palmer said using young wood recovered from thinning in planted forest had emerged as a major impediment to practising good silviculture and optimising returns.

“Research completed at SCU and elsewhere has shown that to produce the high value sawn and veneer hardwood logs so desperately needed to ensure wood supply into the medium to longer term, plantations must be thinned. While we are on the cusp of achieving workable solutions that would end conflict over forested land use, private forestry continues to be held back by an inability to viably use small young stems and pay for good management.”

When hardwood plantations were established 15 years ago, the aim was to use the thinnings for wood chip but transportation costs hindered this plan.

“We’re on a mission to bring certainty of wood supply to an important regional industry without the uncertainty of future native forest harvesting. However, it should be acknowledged that wood production brings certainty to the maintenance of forested land. Increased forested land brings all the benefits of biodiversity and habitat if established and managed properly,” Dr Palmer said.

The keynote speakers at the conference include former Governor General Major General The Hon Michael Jeffery AC AO CVO MC (Ret’d); Mick Keogh, executive director of the Australian Farm Institute; and Andrew Campbell, director of the Research Institute for the Environment and Livelihoods at Charles Darwin University.

Photo: Collecting samples of spotted gum and Dunn’s white gum for liquid fuels research at SCU is (left to right) Honours student Josh Cummins, convenor of the Australian Forest Growers national conference Mark Wright and Dr Graeme Palmer.