Just a small planting to kick things off : Author Cliff Raddatz (Field Manager, Private Forestry Southern Queensland)

Late last year Private Forestry Southern Queensland was approached by Mr. Ed French, Parks and Gardens Superintendent of Cooloola Shire Council in relation to the establishment of a small plantation.  Mr. French followed up on an idea that the previous Parks Superintendent and long standing supporter of Private Forestry Southern QLD Inc., Mr. Bruce Cavanaugh discussed before his retirement in 2004.  Mr. French, Cliff Raddatz and Ken Matthews inspected the site and PFSQ was asked to prepare an establishment plan and quote for 0.6ha plantation on a 1.25 ha land area.  

The following report is the detail of the planning and establishment that was conducted by Mr. Cliff Raddatz of PFSQ.

Whilst this establishment is by no means a significant area in size, it is another indication of the generous Local Government support we have received from Cooloola Shire Council  

Plantation Objective: The objective of this small plantation was to commence some generation of financial return for an area of land that was otherwise going to waste. In addition the park will still be used for recreation as well as a plantation demonstration area in the future.

Plantation  Location Property Description: Lot 15 RP807376 Property Location:   Eel Creek Road      Pie Creek, Gympie      

Vegetation Management Act Classifications:      Mapped as non-remnant /cleared  

Land Use History: The Property is owned by the Queensland State Government and has been managed by the Cooloola Shire Council as a recreational park.  

Current Resource Details:   Property size: 1.25 ha

Native Hardwood Plantation size:          0.635 ha

Soil Type:     Red-brown clay loam to 0.5 metres clay stone increasing with dept

Slope:   Varies between 0 and 10%

Climate: The climate is sub-tropical (hot and humid) where the bulk of the rainfall (54%) falls between December and March. The site is prone to severe frosts and infrequent flooding.  

Tree Species Present: The area proposed for plantation establishment was almost treeless except for a few Eucalyptus tereticornis (forest red gum) scattered throughout the area. On the creek flat on the northern bend of the creek Araucaria cunninghamii and Araucaria bidwillii (hoop and bunya pine) are growing. Most of these have been planted along with other rainforest species in an effort to extend the creek bank. Most of the rainforest trees are growing poorly mainly due to grass competition through poor maintenance. The hoop and bunya pine are growing well.  Along the road reserve, Eucalyptus tereticornis (forest red gum), Eucalyptus tessellaris (Moreton Bay ash), Eucalyptus drepanophylla (grey ironbark) Eucalyptus longirostrata (grey gum) are present. Corymbia citriodora (spotted gum) is also growing a short distance away.

Property Access: The property is accessed from Eel Creek road about halfway along the southern boundary. The road access to the plantation and parkland has been realigned and gravelled by Cooloola Shire Council with the entrance remaining the same but the road shifted to skirt the plantation and give vehicle access to the parkland at the back of the plantation towards the creek.

Utilities Present: An underground Telecom cable runs along the southern boundary (along Eel creek road).

Plantation Design and Planning: The plantation was designed in accordance with currently accepted best management practices. The site design takes into account slope, aspect and drainage.

Site preparation is relevant to the soil type, depth and susceptibility to erosion and periodic flooding.

Species selection and spacing was determined by site capability, annual rainfall, soil depth and frost occurrence. Tree thinning timing and intensity will be determined by the species selected and their growth rate.  

Plantation Security: The plantation will be fenced by Cooloola Shire Council to stop or restrict vehicle access. At present only the front section has been fenced.  

Tree Species Selection: Species selected for the plantation project are listed below: Amenities planting stock consisted of a mix of rainforest species, Eucalyptus species and hoop pine. Spotted gum (Corymbia citriodora  variegata) – seed source Woondum provenance Gympie messmate (Eucalyptus cloeziana) – seed source SL12264 Silver quandong (Elaeocarpus grandis)  

Nursery Details: Planting stock was raised in native plant tubes by Noosa Landcare at their Pomona nursery. The Gympie messmate was direct sown into native plant tubes on the 01.10.2004 and the spotted gum on the 03.12.2004.  The planting stock was transported to the field as follows: Amenities planting stock – 27.01.2005 (50 plants) Silver quandong – 27.01.2005 (80 plants) Hoop Pine – 27.01.2005 (24 plants) Spotted gum – 01.02.2005 (300 plants) Gympie messmate - 01.02.2005 (300 plants)  

Pre-plant Weed Control:

Prior to site cultivation planting rows were pegged and sprayed with Glyphosate 420 at a mixture rate of 10 mls Glyphosate 420 made up to 1 litre with water. The herbicide was applied to a 1.5 metre wide band along the planting line on the 15.12.2005. A second weed control spray was applied to the plant lines on the 13.01.2005 On the 01.02.2005 the inter-rows between the plant lines were sprayed with Glyphosate 420 at a mixture rate of 5 mls Glyphosate 420 made up to 1 litre with water. This spray is intended to control grass development between the rows without killing the grass.  

Site Preparation: Single tree spot cultivation was applied on the 24.01.2005. Deep cultivation 60 - 80 cm at individual tree planting spots at 3.2 x 3.2 meter spacing was achieved by paint marking each individual plant spot and using a Hitachi 13 tonne excavator with a specially designed cultivation head attachment.                                                             (Winged tyne).

To break up the clods and give better planting cultivation the plant spots were rotary hoed with a small self propelled rotary hoe.                                

Planting:

 Sufficient rain fell to wet the soil profile throughout and planting commenced on the 02.02.2005 and was completed on the 04.02.2005. The initial planting spacing was 3.2 metres between rows and 3.2 metres between trees within a row (976 trees per hectare). In each row the plants were offset a half plant spacing from the plants in the adjacent row. This spacing will allow for losses and for the selection of the trees to be retained for the final crop. Spacing will also allow access for machinery and give greater flexibility for slashing, weed control, future harvesting and other mechanical operations which may be required.
A pogo stick planting tool (Forestry design) was used to create a plant hole and to consolidate the soil around the seedling. The seedlings were planted deep with at least 3 cm of soil covering the root core.
The first post plant weed control was completed on the 10.03.2005 applying Glyphosate 420 at a mixture rate of 12 mls Glyphosate 420 made up to 1 litre with water. The herbicide was applied to a 1.5 metre wide band along the planting line. Further weed control will be applied as and when deemed necessary.
Fertilising: An initial Application of nitrogen and phosphorus (Crop King 55 50 kg/ha N) has not been applied due to the lack of rainfall and may have to be delayed until spring 2005. 
Refilling:  Losses were high in the silver quandong planting due to the size of planting stock and high temperatures in early February. Refilling of some Quandong and Gympie messmate was carried out on the 17.03.2005.
 Cooloola Shire Council has given Private Forestry Southern QLD Inc. tremendous support in the past and continues to do so. Cooloola Shire Council has discussed the possibility of further establishment of a larger plantation after the success of this small trial can been seen.
   

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