As part of the second phase, a flagship research site will be launched later this year at a site near Somerset West where 10 hectares will be established with four different species of Eucalyptus or ‘gum’ trees. The focus will be on deeply understanding what is behind the growth and wood formation of these fast-growing trees, which makes some eucalypts the tallest flowering plants in the world.

“This novel research project, called IMPACT (Intensive Monitoring of Planted and Competing Trees), will make a valuable contribution to sustainable forest management worldwide and in South Africa, where the industry contributes many billions of rand to South Africa’s GDP each year,” explains Professor David Drew who holds the EucXylo Chair in the Department of Forest and Wood Science.

Project IMPACT is an open-air laboratory that will showcase research at the frontiers of forest science, and the team will be collaborating with scientists in Australia, Europe and the United States.

“Scientifically, we want to understand why eucalypts grow so fast; what makes them so productive,” says Prof Drew who has been involved in forest science research for over 25 years in South Africa and Australia and who regards this as his most exciting project to date. The funding speaks to this. In addition to the Hans Merensky support, EucXylo secured R2.7 million through the Department of Science and Innovation’s Sector Innovation Fund, administered for the forest industry by Forestry South Africa.

South Africa has about a half a million hectares planted with eucalypts, mainly in Mpumalanga and KwaZulu-Natal. “Expansion of this area is restricted by law,” Prof Drew explains. “This is where research is so important as we need to increase productivity from our forests without expanding the planted area.”

Eucalypts are used for many purposes, including a huge range of chemical products, clothing and food products, while its high-quality timber is used in the building industry. Trees used for pulp can be cut at the age of 7 to 10 years, while as a timber resource, they are cut at 20 to 30 years. These are short time spans in the forestry industry.

“For project IMPACT we will be deploying a range of scientific instruments to constantly monitor environmental conditions, and the growth and physiology of the trees. The network of sensors will be directly linked to the internet so that we can literally watch the trees growing. The forest will be regularly imaged and scanned using remote sensing systems like LiDAR to create a 3-D model of the trees.”

Optimal management of eucalypts was of intense interest to the donor foundation’s namesake, Dr Hans Merensky (1871 to 1952), a mining geologist and conservationist who made his fortune from the discovery of mineral deposits such as platinum and phosphate. He allotted a large part of his wealth to research in forestry, agriculture and horticulture. Merensky recognised eucalypts as a valuable resource for South Africa when managed sustainably. He was constantly experimenting, and the Chair honours this passion.

For more information: https://blogs.sun.ac.za/eucxylo/