AUSTRALIAN NATIVE HARDWOODS

Co-occurrence of Species in Native Forests

The regular association of groups of eucalypts and other native hardwoods in a regional forest system explains many of the products we have today - and the nature of the recycled resource.

In Tasmanian cool-climate montane forests, and in the Victorian forests of the Central Highlands, the principal species, Messmate and Mountain Ash, are found together in stands. While Messmate dominates the foothills, Mountain Ash takes over as the slope increases up the hillsides. Silver Wattle - an important 'nursery' tree in a closed canopy forest, populates the adult understorey; Blackwood and Myrtle, the wet gullies. Peppermints, Shining Gum, Blue Gums, Mountain Greys and Stringybarks complete the landscape as minor species in a stand.

Distance and transport were critical factors. Mills dealt with this mixed log resource competently for the era and the market of the day. They sold single species where the yield matched the market for scale; where it did not, they unified suitable kiln-dried board under a single Product Name.  Additionally, they supplied less valuable green scantling or structural orders from a mix of minor species.

The significance of this last fact shouldn't be lost on consumers of recycled timber. Salvaged structural timber is always of mixed species. There was no requirement on suppliers of green framing to supply beams of a single species or appearance. Strength, quality and price may have formed part of the specification, yes - but not species. Recyclers can supply single species hardwoods to consumers only by un-mixing this resource. It has to be separated. Or simply colour-graded - separating reds from browns, or dark browns from creamy browns.