Category Archives: Plantations

Associated Kiln Driers Pty. Ltd., or AKD Softwoods, was founded in 1955, with its Head Office based at Colac in western Victoria. The Otway State forests to the south of Colac had supplied hardwood timber since the earliest days of European settlement with small sawmills cutting timber for housing, construction, railway sleepers, case timbers forContinue reading “AKD – a regional success story.”

The most common way that Australian foresters measure tree diameter is to place a calibrated tape around the stem at breast height (1.3m). It’s simple, but can be slow, particularly if the scrub is thick, or if there are heaps of trees. The Biltmore Stick was developed at the famous Biltmore forestry school in NorthContinue reading “Biltmore Stick”

I bet we don’t even give them a second thought as we slurp on the quickly melting Chocolate Paddle-Pop dribbling down our fingers while luxuriating at the beach in the sunshine. But Australia was once a major producer and exporter of the humble ice cream stick. I’m aware of two plants, Beddisons at Nangwarry nearContinue reading “Ice Cream Sticks”

There are very few native softwoods in Victoria, and those that do exist, like white cypress pine (Callitris glaucophylla), grow too slowly to be suitable for large scale commercial plantations. From its earliest days in the 1830s, Victoria imported large quantities of softwoods, mostly from north America and Scandinavia. The need for cheaper and moreContinue reading “Row upon Row.”

An innovative School Endowment Plantation Scheme was initiated in 1922 as a joint venture between the Education Department and the Forests Commission Victoria (FCV). Mr William Gay, the former Principal of the Victorian School of Forestry resumed his role with the Education Department in 1922 and took responsibility for the Scheme under the guidance ofContinue reading “School Endowment Plantations.”

There are very few native softwoods in Victoria, and those that do exist, like cypress pine, grow too slowly to be suitable for large scale commercial plantations. From its earliest days in the 1830s, Victoria imported large quantities of softwoods, mostly from north America and Scandinavia. The need for local sources of softwood for furnitureContinue reading “Frankston State Pine Plantation.”