Wind scuppers tree plans

14-07-2010 | Not Specified

When gales blew through Waipuna early in May, they tore out big chunks of 30-year-old plantations that fell across this year's barley baleage.

Apart from damaging trees destined for veneer, it left Ken and Robyn Ferguson with the dilemma of deteriorating baleage.

Of the 600 1.5m bales they wrap each year, about 60 were badly damaged and by the time the trees were pulled away from them the air was already affecting the contents.

Several plantations of macrocapa and eucalyptus nitens were planted 30 years ago to provide shelter at lambing for the 10,000 ewes the station carried back then.

The plan was to selectively fell the high-value timber when the trees reached maturity and the market was right. The Fergusons have harvested chunks of pinus radiata on the property that returned about $120/m3 and Ken expects $250/m3 for good logs of eucalyptus that are often used for veneer.

Now it's a salvage operation for fallen logs and the baleage. Ken says the cheapest option for the baleage is probably mob stocking and feeding it out prematurely before it deteriorates too much. By doing that they can at least save autumn pasture to graze through winter when they would normally need the baleage.

They could rewrap it, but Ken says that would have to be done quickly and would be an extra cost.

  Printable View