Resource

The mill is currently processing around 10,000m³ per annum. Around half of this are compulsory volumes from a wood supply agreement with DPI Forestry with a further 2-2500m³ of optional logs also coming from public land. The Bellthorpe forest owned by the Grant family accounts for a further 2-2500m³ and other private forest supplies are responsible for around 500m³ per annum. The Bellthorpe property provides a valuable resource for the Woodford Mill.

Located in the Connondale Range, approximately 120 kilometers north of Brisbane, the area is ideally suited for growing hardwood. At an altitude of 650 meters (2,166 feet) the climate is considerably cooler than Brisbane with an average rainfall of 2,250-mm (90 inches). The predominant specie Black Butt (Eucalyptus pilularis) makes up approximately 70% of our harvest. A large hardwood, durability class 2, the specie is ideal for all types of framing, flooring, decking and paneling. Light in colour it is used extensively for sports floors. Resistant to Lyctid borer attack. Hardness (Janka) dry – 9.1.

Huge Blackbutt tree growing in "Campbells"on the Bellthorpe property. This area logged in 1995. This particular tree although over mature was left as a seed tree.

The remainder is made of:

Brush Box - (Tristania conferta) A large hardwood which usually grows on the edge of the rain forest. Not considered suitable as a GOS product as it will distort when drying. Ideal for Flooring, decking and paneling because of it’s rich colour and density. Relatively higher in price as it is harder to source. Resistant to Lyctid borer attack. Hardness (Janka) dry – 9.5

Iron Bark - (Eucalyptus paniculata) A large hardwood dark chocolate brown in colour. Slow drying because of it’s density with minimum shrinkage. Durability class 1. Suited to heavy construction where high stress grades are required like floor joist and beams. Makes beautiful flooring, decking and paneling. Resistant to Lyctid borer attack. Hardness (Janka) dry – 14

Tallowood - (Eucalyptus microcors) A large hardwood usually brown to olive green in colour. The sapwood is distinctively paler. The greasy feel is due to an extractive known as triterpenes. A distinguishing factor not common in eucalypts is the absence of gum veins. Pinhole borer marks can be present. Being very durable it is ideal for heavy engineering and bridges. Magnificent in flooring, decking and paneling. Good resistance to checking when exposed to the weather. Sapwood can be Lyctid susceptable. Hardness (Janka) dry – 8.6

Rose Gum - (Eucalyptus grandis) A large fast growing hardwood. The wood is pink in colour while the sapwood is not clearly differentiated. Quick drying and relatively easy to mill. Durability class 3 it is suitable for framing, flooring and paneling. Hardness (Janka) dry – 7.5

White Mahogany – (Eucalyptus acmenioides) Sometimes known as Yellow Stringy as the name suggests it is yellow brown in colour not unlike Tallowood. Slow drying with minimal shrinkage. Very durable class 1. Suited to heavy engineering, poles, flooring, decking and paneling. Resistant to Lyctid borer attack. Hardness (Janka) dry – 10

Turpentine (Syncarpia glomulifera) A very durable specie which is considered more resistant to marine organisms than any other Australian specie. Ideal for Marine piling, ship building, wharves and bridge decking, poles and flooring. Resistant to Lyctid borer attack. Hardness (Janka) dry – 12

The species grown at Bellthorpe are unique in that they:

• Generally considered resistant to Lyctid borer.
• They possess relatively high Janka ratings for hardness when compared to pine which records a very low 2.5 to 3.
• Very durable.
• Very strong with stress grades of F22 are possible from some species green off saw.

In 1978 we converted a 60-hectare clear grassed paddock back to hardwood. Little was known back then about the planting of hardwood in this type of country and armed only with some local knowledge we chose Black Butt seedlings. Site preparation was minimal. We drove along with a tractor and scalped small patches of grass off and followed behind on foot planting the seedlings. In 1999 we harvested Black Butt poles off the site. There was evidence though that a good few trees had blown over in storms in years gone past.

In hindsight we were lucky that the plot recovered as well as it did. There is no doubt that Plantations have some major problems in getting established. When we consider now how resistant our native forest is to fire, storms, weeds and erosion it is far more cost effective to invest our time and money into silva cultural practices of our existing stands. This policy is important to us and is testament to the magnificent stands we now have. On the other hand, caretakers of the State Forest have very seriously neglected the silva cultural aspect of tree farming and hence our State Forests have been in a production decline for many years.

Blackbutt tree hit by lightning. Mountain country like Bellthorpe attracts this type of activity. We regularly patrol our country and remove damaged trees. In some cases the surrounding trees will also be damaged. The trees never recover and eventually die.

Our approach to tree farming is quite simple. To keep the tree farm healthy and vigorous we regularly remove those trees that are deteriorating. This can be a result of a number factors including: Fire damage Termite attack and Over stocked This is a time consuming task that requires years of experience in identifying those trees that going backwards. The minor disruption to the small coups allows natural regeneration to come through. In some cases regrowth is too vigorous and hence some trees need to be thinned to allow space for the others to mature. "Die back" is an interesting phenomenon that occurs in some species from time to time in our forest. The reason is not completely clear but long dry spells must place undue stress on trees normally used to high rainfall.

Removal of a single damaged tree like the one above from a stand without damaging too many trees requires very experienced timber cutters. A process we’ve developed known as the Key Tree Logging System is explained in detail below.

Logged in 1996 this stand of predominantly Blackbutt is now spaced well to allow for the natural regeneration to come through.
Note the dead habitat tree in the left of the picture specifically left standing

The use of fire is also an important part of our management policy. Our Eucalypt forests need fire to germinate. Raging hot fires in the middle of summer can cause massive damage to young trees and hence set a forest back many years. Luckily our native stands of timber are fairly resilient to fire because of the diverse range in size and specie. We endeavor to have our country burnt off in winter when temperatures are low and the risk of damage to our young trees is minimal. We refer to this type of fire as a "Cool Burn". Ideally, the fire would rarely flair up above one meter in height and would travel across the forest floor at walking speed. Not all areas will get burnt every year. It does appear though, in our country, most areas need burning off at least once in every 3 years to prevent the build up of fuel.

We have a full range of fire fighting equipment on hand at all times. In most cases the only time we have to deploy equipment is when we back burn around our buildings.

With most of our country being "steep" it is not possible to fight fires in some places. The grazing of cattle in these areas is a very important management tool to keep the undergrowth down. Being surrounded by State Forest it is comforting to know in the middle of summer when fires are common that our country has minimal fuel build up.

One of 4 sets of yards on the property used exclusively for stock management. Hills yards taken in 1980.

For years we have led the way in Native Forest Management techniques. The Key Tree Logging System developed by Robert William Grant in the early 1970’s was very important to the improvement of our private country. His system, although very simple and solely based on good bushmanship, was very slow to be accepted by the State Forestry Department for use in their country.

Logging in the State Forest was at this time poorly planned. A typical scenario saw a State Department Forester go into a block and mark hundreds of trees. On instruction from him our timber cutters would be sent in to fall the trees. The end result was trees on the ground laying all directions. The Forester along with a representative from the sawmill would then climb through the rubbish to "Crown" the logs. The logs were not allowed to be moved from the stump till the logs had been recorded. This was very time consuming for both Forester and Sawmill representative. The worst thing about this system was that when the dozer was sent in the next day to retrieve the logs it had to push through all the rubbish to get to the logs. Any young trees that were left standing were unnecessarily damaged in the process plus finding the logs buried under tons of rubbish was very time consuming.

The Key Tree Logging System used successfully on our own country was quite different. We identified a Key Tree usually at the end of the track or spur. We then fell that single tree and immediately moved the log to the loading ramp. There were 3 immediate advantages evident with our system:

• The timber cutter was working closely with the tractor operator hence there was much improved safety for the timber cutter as they were now both working as a team
• Far less damage to the surrounding bush.
• The tree heads were not being pushed through as we were now always working away from the debris hence far less wear and tear on equipment.

Groups of trees were then strategically fell into the space were the last tree fell and hence damage to the surrounding young trees was reduced tenfold. The logging team then moved back and selected another Key Tree and repeated the process. The damage was therefore confined to small pockets with little to no damage to the remaining trees. The Key Tree Logging System is responsible for the magnificent private forest we have today.

On the other hand the State Forestry Department was very slow to pick up on the idea. Their biggest hurdle was to allow the logs to be moved from the stump and taken to the ramp before they were crowned. After much persistence from Robert Grant along with some much needed support from Joh Bjelke Petersen (then Premier) the system was finally given the green light and we were the first bush operation to be allowed to move logs from the stump without the presence of a forester.

The system changed forever the way the Departmental Staff worked. Most were critical of the move as they could see that their "presence" was not required on the scale that they had been accustomed to. From our point of view the bush operation was now flowing as it had been on our private country for so many years. Most importantly damage to the remaining young trees (the next crop) was significantly reduced.

Fortunately throughout the entire tree farming process we do not have to apply any chemicals. This surely must make our crop the most environmentally friendly resource known to mankind!

There is potential for the size and quality of logs supplied from Bellthorpe to increase and this provides an opportunity to provide a buffer against future species changes. With continued uncertainty surrounding the State managed resource, the private Bellthorpe resource will provide the certainty and commitment our clients expect.

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