Gumeracha Farm Forestry Demonstration Area

This unique area provides the opportunity for farm forestry growers and interested parties to walk through a vast array of farm forestry management regimes and species. If you are interested in walking through this area please contact a Forestry SA Mount Crawford Ranger which can be found at http://www.forestry.sa.gov.au/crawford.stm regarding access times. 

Background

In March 1990, a deliberately lit fire burnt through pine plantations on this part of Mt Crawford Forest Reserve, west of the township of Gumeracha. Considerable thought was given to the future management objectives of this area. Revegetation with trees and using the area for demonstration purposes was considered the most appropriate management action.

The Farm Forestry Demonstration and Trial Area covers over 100 hectares and is designed to demonstrate a variety of farm forestry management regimes. Planting began in 1992 and continued until 1999. Future plantings are planned for 2010 and 2011.

The demonstration area includes a variety of tree species planted in various designs and managed for various timber products and environmental benefits. Products such as firewood and sawlog are demonstrated under different management regimes. Other plantings demonstrate the suitability of different species for aesthetics, biodiversity and soil stabilisation where minimal ongoing management is required.

A number of genera are found within this demonstration area they include: Eucalypt, Corymbia, Pinus, Grevillia, Acacia, Casuarina, Cupressus and Robinia.

This area also includes research projects such as the Gumeracha Climate Change Trials and a number of trial plots from the South Australia Farm Tree Improvement Project along with the Kersbrook Eucalyptus cladocalyx seed production area and the Kersbrook Farm Forestry Arboretum.

Management

Firewood

The majority of the demonstration plantings will be managed as firewood demonstration areas. This is mainly due to poor form average growth and unsuitable timber qualities for sawlog. Managing farm forest for firewood production has become an attractive alternative to sawlog production for many farm forest growers. Converting some existing compartments of the demonstration area into firewood production areas would allow for firewood management practices to be demonstrated. This would include demonstrating stand management options as well as harvesting and processing techniques and include firewood coppice management of appropriate species.    

Sawlog

Remaining demonstration plantings will have a focus on sawlog production either using traditional methods such as planting at a high stocking and thinning at regular intervals to obtain a final crop tree stocking. The alternative method in sawlog production is a wide spaced clear wood regime, where trees are planted at a low initial stocking, thinned 1 or 2 times and pruned to a height of approximately 6m to produce 1 clear wood sawlog.

Softwood Sawlog

Softwood sawlog species included in this demonstration area include Pinus radiata, Pinus canariensis and Cupressus macrocarpa which have been planted and managed for clear wood sawlog as wide spaced belts and wide spaced rows.

Hardwood Sawlog

Hardwood sawlog species included in this demonstration area include Eucalypts, Corymbia, Casuarinas, Acacias and Grevillia’s. Some of these species have been established and managed using traditional methods while others have been managed using the alternative wide spaced clear wood regime.

Environmental and Exotic Plantings

The final part of the Gumeracha demonstration plantings include both exotic and local species, which have been, classified into general demonstration plantings. The majority of these plantings will demonstrate the effectiveness of trees to stabilise soil on steep slopes and within gullies. Similar plantings around the landscape will also demonstrate the suitability of native tree species for environmental benefits such as soil stabilization, carbon sequestration, biodiversity and stock and pasture shelter. These plantings demonstrate various establishment techniques used within the forest industry.