Specialised Tree Crops For Small Landholders | Sandalwood, York, Western Australia

The client was an absentee landholder who bought the property as a lifestyle block and long term investment. He wanted to utilise the land and add value to the property.
It needed to :

• Require minimal maintenance
• Be inexpensive to maintain
• Provide a long term investment, whether it be timber or carbon credits
• Be environmentally positive

Considering the rainfall, soil type, proximity to potential markets and low management, Sandalwood ticked most of the boxes. Year one the area was planted with Acacia accuminata which provided the host tree for the sandalwood nuts that were seeded 12-months after the initial planting.

An initial Acacia strike rate of 90% was achieved. The sandalwood seed was sown next to the host trees and over the past two years a good density of germination of sandalwood was achieved. Sandalwood is parasitic therefore will only grow on certain host tree species.

Other specialised timber plots:

• Oil Mallee
• Carbon credit woodlots
• Native hardwood (Jarrah, Sugar gum, Sheoak, White gum, Blackbutt, Ironbark, Tassie oak, Sydney blue gum)
• Firewood timber species
• Cut flowers and foliage