'Northland Totara Working Group; sustainable management options for wood production'.
The Coordinator for this 3 year SFF project is Helen Moodie. Due for completion in June 2009, the project aims to support and promote research and technology transfer in the productive management of totara from both naturally regenerating stands and plantations.
Dr. David Bergin has been running a series of farm based trials investigating planting densities and thinning programmes. Analysis of initial samples at the Wood Quality Laboratory at Scion in Rotorua suggest the wood in young, naturally regenerating totara on farms has many of the inherent quality properties found in trees logged from old-growth stands.
The success of a recent Whangarei Heads field day, despite heavy rain, confirms the level of interest in this project.
