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- Project Pulp
The pulp and paper industry is an important industry
and utilises for over 60% of the approximately 1.35
million ha of South Africa's forestry. It forms a large
portion of the forestry industry in South Africa with
64% of all roundwood sales from plantations being for
pulpwood. The components of the forestry value chain
contributed R12.2 billion to GDP in 2003, and the contribution
to GDP and employment amount to 1% of South Africa's
GDP (Genesis report 2005). The pulp and paper industry
(including recycling) is the largest contributor to
GDP, contributes R6.9 billion, and provides employment
to some 24 000 people.
The industry would benefit from the introduction of
new improved Eucalyptus hybrid material. A timber product
with preferred wood quality and good pulping properties
will transform the local resource to a world-leading,
competitive resource, significantly adding value to
the resource base. There is a need for this type of
product in order to remain internationally competitive.
Project Pulp aims to develop new improved wood quality,
high pulp yielding, Eucalyptus hybrids, thereby adding
significant value to the resource - redressing a strategy
which has neglected wood quality in favour of tree growth
in the past The development of the new product will
be focussed primarily on quality whilst striving for
the best tree volume and growth characteristics. New
species crosses will be made between high pulp yield,
high density species and fast-growing, advanced generation,
improved material suited to South African conditions,
to produce a new resource with both improved wood quality
and good adaptation to sites in South Africa.
Project Pulp is funded by the Innovation Fund.
For more information, contact
Cyndi Snedden
- Pine breeding platform
The overall objectives of this project are to:
- secure continued improved genetic pine material
for the industry and its future. This will provide
material (improved selections) for company - specific:
- seed orchards;
- elite populations (to cross best-with-best for added
improvement where needed);
- breeding archives (for conservation, experimentation
and protection of best selections);
- clonal programs (e.g. pine hybrids);
- ensure that our years of huge investment in improved
pine populations are not lost during company and market
changes- i.e. assurance of long-term stability to
the breeding of key RSA pine species;
- ensure that the scarce supporting skills and knowledge
for the breeding of a competitive pine resource are
developed to meet industry needs.
Global Forest Products has partnered with the CSIR
in a consortium to address their needs for competitive
improved pine germplasm and breeding strategy that is
well suited to the changing environment and market demands
of the forestry industry.
For more information, contact
Cyndi Snedden
- F2 pine hybrid
The F2 pine hybrid project is a Thrip funded collaborative
project under the leadership of the CSIR but supported
by York Timbers (formerly Global Forest products) and
Hans Merensky. The aim of the project is to develop
prototypes of the second generation (F2) P.elliottii
x P.caribaea hybrid in order to understand
and indicate the potential for operational deployment.
This will be achieved through an investigation of the
segregation of traits in the second generation (F2)
P.elliottii x P.caribaea hybrid, together
with the possible causes of increased reproductive success
in the production of the F2.
The demand for the P.elliottii x P.caribaea
pine hybrid is growing rapidly due to it’s improved
growth over Pinus elliottii on sites traditionally planted
to this species, it’s desirable wood properties
(more uniform wood density and potentially reduced resinous
defects compared to the pure P.elliottii) and
improved tolerance to Fusarium (pitch canker)
compared to other pine species currently planted in
South Africa.
Commercial deployment of the F2 P.elliottii
x P.caribaea hybrid could contribute substantially
to cost-effectively meeting the operational demand for
the P.elliottii x P.caribaea hybrid.
However, before this can be done there is an urgent
need to address some key technical questions through
an investigation of the performance and segregation
of F2 P.elliottii x P.caribaea hybrid
seed from the elite F1 hybrid germplasm developed for
South African conditions. Concurrent to this research,
studies need to be put in place to investigate the possible
causes for the increased reproductive success in the
production of the F2 seed with the ultimate goal of
better understanding the sexual reproduction of the
F1 hybrid in order to improve productivity and optimise
seed production in potential seed orchards and controlled
pollination programmes.
The project will achieve the objective through two
main focussed studies. This research is in direct response
to the companies’ need for more cost effective
and larger quantities of P.elliottii x P.caribaea
hybrid material. The F2 P.elliottii x P.caribaea hybrid
specifically bred and selected for South Africa has
not previously been studied and this research will tackle
some of the key challenges to the deployment in a novel
study and approach.
For more information contact Cyndi
Snedden.
- Eucalypt hybrid sawtimber breeding : For more information, contact Cyndi
Snedden
- East Africa GEI tree breeding study : For more information, contact Karen Eatwell
- Development and evaluation of sterile triploids and polyploid breeding methodologies for commercial species of Acacia (and Eucalyptus) in Vietnam, South Africa and Australia
The aim of the project is to investigate the possibility of inducing sterility (or reduced fertility) in potentially invasive forestry species by producing triploids. This will allow the industry to exploit the benefits of exotic timber species while limiting the threat to the environment. The project was initiated in 2004 as a joint project between CSIRO Forestry and Forest Products, Australia; University of Tasmania, Australia; CSIR, South Africa and the Research Centre for Forest Tree Improvement, Vietnam and is partially funded by ACIAR. It aims at developing and assessing the use of polyploid breeding methods for commercially important Acacia and Eucalyptus species, and to position for the production of sterile, high-yielding triploid plants for deployment in plantations. The project has field or laboratory research components in all three countries. The project will end in June 2009. For more information, contact Marianne Hettasch
- High performance eucalypts and interspecific hybrids
for marginal lands in south and eastern South Africa and
south-eastern Australia - ACIAR
This was a collaborative multi-year project between
South Africa (CSIR and University of Stellenbosch) and
Australia (ACIAR, Australian National University, ENSIS
and State Forests of New South Wales). The goal of this
project was to improve rural livelihoods and environmental
conditions on lands marginal for agriculture and commercial
wood production in the medium rainfall zones of both
the RSA and Australia by addressing the challenge and
opportunity of achieving commercially-viable farm- and
landscape-scale reforestation in marginal lands.
The key outcomes of the research will ultimately be:
- improved genetic resources and breeds for marginal
farmlands, which better meet the needs of farmers
for commercially-viable plantation and farm forestry
species, and of the forest industries that draw on
this resource;
- enhanced (more cost-effective and less risky) breeding
strategies for the generation of eucalypt hybrids;
- new and improved technologies for the generation
and propagation of eucalypt hybrids for commercial
production on marginal farmlands.
For more information contact Cyndi
Snedden.
- Seeds for a better future
This was a four year project funded by the Department of Science and Technology's Poverty Relief Programme.
With the support of the CSIR, three commercial forestry tree seed orchards were established in poverty-stricken rural areas of the Mpumalanga and Limpopo. This has created the opportunity for these communities to potentially generate much needed income through the sale of high quality, high value tree seed on national and international markets. In addition vegetable gardens were established to supplement income until the trees have reached full production and to help bridge the time between harvesting seasons.
Three SMMEs, Underberg Seed (Shongwe), Phumulani Tree Seed Company (Nelspruit) and Zoeknog Seed Project (Bushbuckridge) were established. Community members received vocational and business training to enable them to run the businesses independently. At all three sites the necessary infrastructure was established to support the businesses. This included the establishment of genetically improved seed orchards, seed handling office and other facilities. The CSIR provided the scientific support and to ensure the sustainability of the project, the organisation has offered to provide guidance in the marketing of the seeds. In addition to the seed orchards, the project supported the establishment of a tree nursery, owned by a black empowerment company, Siyatyala cc at Alice in the Eastern Cape.
Cyndi Snedden
- Siyatyala
One of the spin-off business opportunities identified during the development of the "Waste-to-Wood-to-Energy" (WtWtE) concept was a tree nursery. "Waste-to-Wood-to-Energy" is an environmentally friendly, poverty alleviation initiative with the potential to promote and sustain local economic development through the production of biomass from waste-water-irrigated plantations, and the conversion of this biomass to electricity by local authorities in cooperation with adjacent communities.
One of the outcomes of the feasibility study of the Waste-to-Wood-to-Energy concept was the establishment of a black empowerment nursery business named Siyatyala Nursery cc. This nursery is owned by women and primarily employs women. Siyatyala has proved to be very successful, running independently and sustainable\y. The expansion of the nursery facilities is currently under way.
Cyndi Snedden
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