Forest list archive: msg00024

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Re: Costs and Benefits of Exotics






On Thu, 3 Nov 1994 11:10:43 +0200 buergi wrote:

> From: buergi <buergi@wsl.ch>
> Date: Thu, 3 Nov 1994 11:10:43 +0200
> Subject: Re: Costs and Benefits of Exotics
> To: forest@nic.funet.fi
> 
> The discussion about the introduction of exotics is almost as old as 
forestry
> on a scientific basis. . 
. 
.
> The criteria for plantations of exotic species in Switzerland could be
> summarized as follows:
> - the species shall be adapted to the site conditions and should not be
> endangered by pests and dieases (no chemical treatment in Swiss forests)
> - exotic species shall grow in mixed stands with indigenous species
> (no big scale pure plantations of one single species)
> - growth performance shall be better than for the indigenous species
> - the timber shall have qualities, which can not be met by indigenous 
species
> 
> But the most important criteria is the silvicultural risk. Indigenous 
species
> showed since thousands of years, that they can live with the properties 
of
> the respective site. Since forests in Switzerland are not only producing
> timber, but have often an important protective function, minimizing the 
risks
> in forestry is a predominant task. And the risks with exotic species are
> higher than with indigenous species. Examples are C. ribicola at P. 
strobus
> and needle casts at Douglas Fir.
> 

Now these are criteria I can live with!  Exotics without significant threat 
to ecological systems . .  but this as about as different from Australian 
plantation forestry as native forest is from intensive agriculture.


> A. Buergi
> WSL
> CH-8903 Birmensdorf
> 
.
Dr Don Ewart                        D.Ewart@ForProd.CSIRO.Au
Granitgard Pty Ltd/CSIRO Div. Forest Products
Mail: Priv. Bag 10 Rosebank MDC, Clayton VIC 3169, Australia
Tel: +613 542 2271  Fax: +613 543 6613 Finger: 138.194.54.125 
URL: http://www.mps.ohio-state.edu/cgi-bin/hpp?Termite.html
The opinions expressed above are not those of CSIRO or Granitgard
.







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