Under 'the fool-wood' tree

Met Roger Arnold in Kandy recently. Actually, he's seeing the millennium in, having come here in December as a guest of the Estate Forest and Water Resources Development Project, (EFWRDP). Roger, who is with the Australian Tree Seed Centre is pretty indignant at the way we seem to consider our best trees as only fit for burning. "Fuel-wood is one thing," he said, "but when we burn quality timber as fuel, it's fool-wood, pure and simple."

A case in point, he said, is Grevillea robusta, better known as Silky Oak. "In Australia we consider this tree to yield high-quality timber and we have many uses for it - for furniture, plywood and joinery. Why, when town houses are for sale, billboards are put up that list the features of these houses. One leading feature which attracts buyers is the mention of Silky Oak kitchens!"

Today, thanks to the persistence of the EFWRDP, Eucalyptus is being recognised as a valuable timber resource. What Roger feels is we must extend this recognition to Grevillea as well. "As far as I see, Grevillea is just used for fuel-wood here." "Or fool-wood," I reminded him and he smiled.

The problem is, there are inhibitions. Private enterprise is hamstrung, not given the fair climate to invest in the country's timber industry. "I don't really see what the difficulty is," said Roger. "This is a country of immense timber opportunity. The land itself is fantastically supportive in the growing and sustaining of timber. What is needed are more favourable policies, especially in the harvesting and transport of timber."

Trees, he says, are a valuable resource and there is no real difficulty to replant as we cut. "What is not being really addressed is the value of the timber here. Using whole trees for fuel-wood is a crime. After all, good trees, when cut for saw logs, still provide adequate fuel-wood in the form of chips and tops. What is done here is rather like killing the geese who lay the golden eggs."

Roger is also here to produce a nursery manual for distribution to the plantation forest industry under the aegis of the EFWRDP. The manual will focus on the techniques and propagation of Eucalyptus and Grevillea seedlings. In the short-term, selected seedlings will come out of Australia but the main idea is to develop them here. He said that Eucalyptus seedlings now available here were genetically poor in quality and there is inadequate understanding of seed collecting practices.

"Any farmer will tell you that success depends on the quality of the seed he uses. Seeds of poor quality are never the answer. In the same way, the plantation forestry must take advantage of careful selection and quality. Coming back to Silky Oak, Roger insists that trees must not be cut for fuel-wood only. "We also call it Silver Oak," he said, "and it is certainly popular here as a shade tree for tea. But it also provides many economically viable products including timber, poles, and furniture. It was introduced here in the mid-19th Century and has performed well."

As I learned, the sawn timber, which is of medium strength, is used for furniture, packing cases, flooring, panelling, plywood, and even in the manufacture of pencils and other small wooden items. Also, a good fibre pulp can be produced. Roger has pointed out that one of the most negative aspects that affect a sustainable timber industry in this country is this needless use of good wood for fuel. All over, plantations are now finding alternatives, one being Calliandra.

"It is time we looked at the potential of Silky Oak. Fuel-wood is one thing, but when you make fool-wood out of valuable timber you do yourself no good at all!" he said.

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