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Radiata Pine

Radiata pine was first introduced to Australia in the 1850s by miners from California. It thrived and its successful growth led to extensive planting around South Australia starting in 1876. Over subsequent decades, millions of radiata pine trees were planted across multiple Australian states. Radiata pine is a softwood, meaning it is from a conifer with needle-shaped leaves and the cell structure of softwood timber. Major threats to radiata pine forests include fire, which can destroy large areas quickly, and pests like the Ips beetle and Sirex wasp, which bore into and introduce fungi into trees causing wilting and death.

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connor haberecht
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48 views

Radiata Pine

Radiata pine was first introduced to Australia in the 1850s by miners from California. It thrived and its successful growth led to extensive planting around South Australia starting in 1876. Over subsequent decades, millions of radiata pine trees were planted across multiple Australian states. Radiata pine is a softwood, meaning it is from a conifer with needle-shaped leaves and the cell structure of softwood timber. Major threats to radiata pine forests include fire, which can destroy large areas quickly, and pests like the Ips beetle and Sirex wasp, which bore into and introduce fungi into trees causing wilting and death.

Uploaded by

connor haberecht
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Radiata Pine

HISTORY
The history of Radiata pine in Australia (Pinus
Radiata) dates back to the 1850’s when miners
from California brought the species to the
Victorian goldfields of Ballarat and Bendigo. The
tree thrived in the Australian soil and climate
and its sucess aroused interest in its value as a
forest tree.
In 1876 the first experimental plantings of the
species were undertaken in various parts of
South Australia. Compared to other species
planted at the same time, Radiata pine showed
exceptional growth.
Many millions of trees were planted around
South Australia in the following years,
increasing in number every year. Other States
undertook regular planting of the tree. Victoria
in 1917, New South Wales and Tasmania in
1921, Western Australia in 1922, Australian Capital Territory in 1925 and
Queensland in 1927.
Hardwoods & Softwoods
There are two kinds of trees: flowering trees and
cone bearing trees. Flowering trees are also called
“broad-leaved trees” because their leaves are usually
broad and flat. Cone bearing trees have needle-
shaped leaves and are also called “conifers”. The
wood from broad-leaved trees is called hardwood
and the wood from conifers is known as softwood.
The terms hardwood and softwood refer to the cell
structure of the wood and not to its hardness.

Australian eucalypts are


broad-leaved trees with the
cell structure of hardwoods.
Pine trees are conifers with
the cell structure of
softwoods. Much of the
timber used in the world
today comes from
softwoods.
Forest Enemies
Fire is a great threat to any forest and can destroy huge areas very quickly. The
major pine forests of Australia have been destroyed on several occasions and
this has led to increased fire fighting facilities and fire prevention measures.
Some of these measures are fire breaks, clearing roadside undergrowth through
grazing of cattle and sheep.

Termite
(white ant)
Sirex Wasp
Pests are a great
threat to forests,
in particular
the Termite,
Ips grandicollis and Sirex wasp affect the Radiata pine. The Ips male chews a
tunnel through the bark into the tree. The female lays her eggs in this tunnel. The
eggs hatch and the grubs feed on the surrounding wood. The adult Ips carry a
bluestained fungus which grows in the sapwood of the tree. The presence of this
fungus can cause wilting and eventual death of the tree.
The female Sirex wasp bores holes into the tree leaving behind a wood rotting
fungus as well as her eggs. After the eggs hatch, the young grubs tunnel their way
through the tree while feeding on the fungus. These tunnels and the fungus kill
the sap tissue and the trees.
Termites eat the inner wood (sapwood and truewood), creating tunnels or
galleries that can range in size from 3mm diameter to 50mm wide and 12mm
high. Heavily attacked timber can sometimes only have a paper-thin skin of wood
or paint left on the surface, while the interior of the wood is honeycombed by
tunnels and galleries. Often their presence is not evident until serious damage
has occurred.

Life cycle of an Ips grandicollis


Radiata Pine Questions
1. Describe the history of Radiata Pine in Australia.
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2. What do the terms hardwood & softwood refer to?


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3. List 2 characteristics & an example of hardwood.


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4. List 2 characteristics & an example of softwood.


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5. What are 3 forms of fire prevention for our forests?


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6. Describe the pests that are a threat to trees & how they effect them.
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