10 GUM TREES

THAT ALSO MAKE GOOD FIREWOOD

GUM AS A TREE divides a lot of people. One reason is different varieties do better in different parts of the country – plant the wrong one for your area and you’ll probably lose it to frost or the wrong soil conditions. Also, once a gum gets away it’s fairly hardy, but when it’s young it needs to be fed and weeds kept back or it may die.

But the other issue is that these are trees which can easily get away on you. If you don’t coppice or cut them down before the age of five years they can start to cause big problems. Large gum trees naturally drop big branches during storms for stability, but that’s no comfort if it’s near a building or a vehicle, or worse a person. In Australia, gums are known as ‘widow makers’ for the number of people killed sheltering under gum trees during storms.

Eucalypts mostly grow very fast. At five years old, most will still be a manageable height to cut down, but once they get a couple more years on them, you can be looking at a big felling operation and the cost of using a commercial forestry chainsaw and log splitter.

The roots of big eucalypts can spread a long way - up to 30m - so you don’t want them anywhere near driveways or buildings, and they will suck the goodness out of the soil if you’re trying to grow pasture or crops amongst them.

The trick for a firewood block is to plant them with another good timber/firewood species from their Australian homeland, acacia (wattles).

1. Eucalyptus botryoides, southern mahogany

Conditions: well-drained soils Fast-growing, gorgeous timber and firewood tree, coppices well after 5 years. Evidence now that it’s not as tolerant to coastal situations as first thought. Is very susceptible to sawfly, ophilemus and leaf lerp although some bio-control now available with parasites.

2. Eucalyptus nitens,

shining gum

Conditions: dry-moist soils (not wet), will tolerate humidity, frost, cold temperatures Very fast-growing which puts it at risk of being blown over. Tall, hardy, can be coppiced but not as reliable as other varieties.

3. Eucalyptus ovata, swamp gum

Conditions: wet soils Coppices very well from 5 years+ and will regrow from a stump several times, excellent for firewood.

4. Eucalyptus microcorys, tallowwood wood

Conditions: deep moist soil including clay, not frost-tolerant Great wood for posts, coppices well for firewood,, flowersflowerrs over winter so good for bee food, dense crown andd low branches make it a good shelter tree.

5. Eucalyptus muelleriana, yellow stringybark

Conditions: well-drained soils, warmer climates Fast-growing, good quality timber, low tolerance to frost.

6. Eucalyptus macrorhyncha, red stringybark

Conditions: grows well in most soils but prefers welldrained, frost and drought-tolerant Good quality timber, very hardy.

7. Eucalyptus fastigata, brown barrel gum

Conditions: prefers deep volcanic soils, shelter from wind Grows fast, coppices well, beautiful timber for furniture or constructions above ground.

8. Eucalyptus bosistoana,

good timber

nitrogen-en-fixing,fi burns fast.

coast grey box

Conditions: fertile, well-drained soil, clay, limestone This is a very dense wood, excellent timber for posts, flooring etc, doesn’t like dry, exposed sites or hard frost.

9. Eucalyptus saligna, Sydney blue gum

Conditions: free-draining moist soil, not wind-hardy Good coppicing tree, shade-tolerant, doesn’t like windy sites, is affected by pests/disease.

10. Eucalyptus viminalis, manna gum

Conditions: dry to moist soil, drought-tolerant Good coppice tree, good for shelter on exposed, dry sites, lovely flowers for bee feed.

What to plant with your gums

Gums often do well with acacia (wattles) as the smaller trees can live under a gum canopy, and are also good firewood trees in their own right. Wattle varieties to try include:

• Acacia elata, prefers moist soils, good timber

• Acacia falciformis, does best on warm, fertilele sites,

• Acacia melanoxylon, good too coppice after year 7 over

several rotations, toleratesrates wide range of conditions but

does best on sheltered,heltered, well-drained, fertile soil,