November 2011 Field day

Over 20 enthusiastic foresters attended a very interesting field day in the Upper Karuah valley. There were practical demonstrations of the harvesting machine falling and debarking a tree, the air dried kiln and the milling of a pole into boards.
An objective of the property’s management is to educate property owmers on sustainable forestry practices. The harvesting regime is seeking to achieve a balance between production and conservation, and over time have a balanced mix of tree species and age. This involves retaining trees, normally taken by contractors, to grow on for future generations.
An important lesson was to find appropriate markets for the processed timber product. In this case timber is being supplied to local, interstate and overseas customers for a range of uses.

Hunter Farm Forestry Network (HFFN) facilitates the exchange of information about farm forestry and promotes the productive and sustainable use of trees on farms in the Hunter Valley region of New South Wales, Australia.

Farm Forestry takes many forms including timber belts, windbreaks, revegetation projects and timber production

Farm forestry includes commercial trees and shrubs incorporated into farm operations.

Farm Forestry improves agricultural productivity.

It’s about which tree you want, for the purpose that you want.