Forest Science Symposium is back with a bang

Forest scientists from all corners of the country gathered in Pietermaritzburg recently, showcasing the breadth and depth of research currently on the go in the forestry sector.

It has been seven long years since the last such event. The organisers, ICFR (Institute for Commercial Forestry Research), Forestry South Africa (FSA) and the SAIF (Southern African Institute of Forestry), pulled out all the stops to showcase as much relevant research as possible over the two days of the symposium. 

There were 27 presentations and 24 "speed talks" complemented by 28 posters displayed in the main foyer outside the venue at the New Hilton Hotel, providing the 210 registered participants with a comprehensive review of the research around the country.

The key themes included climate change adaption, managing and understanding pests and diseases,  biodiversity and sustainability, how environmental conditions influence wood quality, nurseries and tree breeding, precision forestry, silviculture, harvesting and productivity.

Speed talks were an exciting addition to this year's event. These quick, five-minute presentations provided an opportunity for post-graduate students from the leading research universities and institutes to present their work to the established forest scientists, foresters and forest managers in the audience. 

The presentations proved that the future of forest research in southern Africa is in good hands.

Climate change

The presentations on climate change from Prof Mary Scholes and Dr Yolandi Ernst of Wits University highlighted the sector's massive challenges with hotter temperatures and more frequent and severe dry periods. 

Much of the research is focused on better understanding and predicting the climate changes that are coming and breeding trees adapted to hotter, dryer conditions, seasonal shifts and extreme weather events. We heard how growers like Sappi are a long way down the road in implementing strategies to adapt their operations and breed trees that will cope with future climate uncertainties.

Presenters warned that climate change will impact wood property and quality with significant implications for processors. This is a concern given trends that engineered wood products are a significant part of the future built environment. 

Prof Mary Scholes
Dr Yolandi Ernst

Pests & diseases

Much work is focused on better understanding pests and pathogens impacting our plantation trees, including new pests like Elsinoe masingae and the leafroller caterpillars now affecting eucalypts. 

We heard from PhD researcher Michelle Pretorius of the University of Cape Town (UCT) how baboon damage on pines has increased significantly and is spreading to new areas like the Eastern Cape. They are also starting to become a problem in Eucalyptus plantations. 

Derishnee Naidoo of the ICFR highlighted the importance of early detection of wattle rust on black wattle and has tested the effectiveness of using near-infrared spectrometry to do this, while Prof Brett Hurley of Fabi provided insight on the latest pests and diseases affecting wattle.

Prof Almuth Hammerbacher of the University of Pretoria (UP) brought the focus down to the microscopic level to show how the surface chemistry of leaves of plantation trees influence the feeding behaviour of pests like the Eucalyptus lerp psyllid and gonipterus sp 2. She also explained how leaf surface chemistry influences the growth of leaf pathogens. These findings provide potential opportunities for innovative pest and disease management options.

Michelle Pretorius
Prof Almuth Hammerbacher

Open corridors & biodiversity

Prof James Pryke of Stellenbosch University (SU) described how well-maintained and located open corridors in forestry estates contribute to conserving biodiversity and can potentially extend the range of protected conservation areas. He noted that forest and grassland edges are species-rich zones and that wild animal grazing on grasslands is more beneficial than domestic grazing. Still, domestic grazing is better than no grazing.

Prof James Pryke

Mulching & silviculture

A study into different treatments of post-harvest slash by Dr Tanay Bose of UP showed that the benefits of mulching followed by delayed re-establishment is a winning combo for healthier forests and larger trees.

Dr Tanay Bose

Timber quality & engineered wood

Dr Bruno Balboni of Stellenbosch University (US) spoke about the potential of using short-rotation Eucalyptus as a timber resource for manufacturing engineered wood products. SU's Dr Brand Wessels discussed the beneficial wood properties of the hybrid P. patula x P. tecunamanii, which grows at a low elevation in the southern Cape.

Dr Rafael Keret of Sappi reported on a study to better understand how trees respond and adapt to changing conditions and how dry conditions affect wood anatomy. His work involves taking core samples from pines in the Mpumalanga escarpment to determine the wood density. 

He said the focus on faster growth has produced more juvenile wood with less density. The later years of growth are when good quality wood is made. He found that P. eliottii species had more consistent density growth than P. patula and said, "Balancing growth with wood quality is becoming more challenging".

Dr Bruno Balboni

Use of pesticides & weedicides

Prof Keith Little of Nelson Mandela University (NMU) provided info on progress in finding alternatives to the use of glyphosate for weed control and paraquat for the burning of tracer belts. 

Dr Noxolo Ndlovu of NCT described the findings of her study to determine how pesticides used in forestry impact soil, sediment and water. She found that glyphosate, the most commonly applied pesticide in forestry, was low risk in sediment and water and was not detected in the soil at all. Metazachlor and cypermethrin were flagged as pesticides of concern.

She said the results were encouraging and showed that pesticides can be used safely in forestry as part of an integrated pest management approach. However, she cautioned that these trials were conducted in just one region in one growing season and that more research is required.

Prof Keith Little
Dr Noxolo Ndlovu

Genome sequencing & tree breeding

Prof Zander Myburg (SU) described a project to restart the domestication and breeding of Eucalyptus grandis that involves high throughput genome sequencing trees in their natural ranges in Australia. E. grandis is one of the most iconic plantation tree species introduced into South Africa more than 100 years ago, and it has been the focus of some of the most advanced breeding programmes. 

Prof Zander Myburg

"What we are looking for in a tree is probably already out there in nature," he said.

Speed talk presenters delved into a wide range of topics like mulching, progress on finding effective biological control for bugweed and the perennial headache of how to control the wilding pines spreading into the Cape mountain areas.

The symposium demonstrated the excellent collaboration between research institutes, leading universities, and private-sector forestry companies in South Africa. This goes a long way to ensuring South Africa's forestry sector is globally competitive – and sustainable.

By Chris Chapman

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