Eucalypt plantation health in Australia
Hardy, G., Burgess, T., Whyte, G., Andjic, V. and Dell, B. (2004) Eucalypt plantation health in Australia. In: IV Asia-Pacific Mycological Congress & The IX International Marine and Freshwater Mycology Symposium, 14 - 19 November, Chiang Mai Thailand.
Historically in Australia eucalypts have been harvested from native forests to meet both the demand for hardwood and chips. In the last 20 years the scenario has changed and there has been a rapid expansion in the area of eucalypt plantations in Australia from less than 50 000 ha in 1985 to over 500 000 ha today. These plantations have primarily been established to supply woodchips for export. The largest areas (over 350 000 ha of predominantly Eucalyptus -ystemic) have been established in the Mediterranean climate of Western Australia, South Australia, and Victoria followed by approximately 100000 ha of predominantly E. nitens in the temperate climate of Tasmania. More recently, plantations have been established in sub-tropical Australia. Unlike exotic eucalypt plantations which flourish in the absence of native pests and diseases, the plantation estate in Australia has been faced with a multitude of indigenous pests and diseases. In addition, Australian plantations are also threatened by pathogens that have arisen on exotic eucalypt plantations but could be introduced to Australia. Faced with all these challenges one may imagine that the industry in Australia is under severe threat. However, variation in pest and disease impact is observed in taxa and provenance trials and selection of superior lines will assist in a sustainable plantation industry in the future. The major eucalyptus diseases present in Australia and those that exist overseas and pose a threat to the Australian industry will be discussed.
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|Murdoch Affiliation:||School of Biological Sciences and Biotechnology|
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