Soil physical limitations to growth in sub-tropical hardwood plantations. Large areas of eucalypt plantations are being established to replace native forest wood production in many areas of Australia. A major impediment facing the industry in subtropical eastern Australia is inappropriate site species matching. This is largely due to lack of understanding of the major soil types in the region and the effect on growth of different species. This project will compare site productivity and soil ch ....Soil physical limitations to growth in sub-tropical hardwood plantations. Large areas of eucalypt plantations are being established to replace native forest wood production in many areas of Australia. A major impediment facing the industry in subtropical eastern Australia is inappropriate site species matching. This is largely due to lack of understanding of the major soil types in the region and the effect on growth of different species. This project will compare site productivity and soil characteristics in two major hardwood species and investigate fundamental relationships between soil characteristics and tree root growth. The outcome will be a mechanistic understanding of soil physical limitations to tree growth.Read moreRead less
A toolkit of statistical methodology for a state-of-the-art software and decision support system for forest assessment using new airborne data. The aim is to develop statistical methods for efficient collection and interpretation of airborne laser data and videography, used to describe characteristics of the forest such as tree species, stand history and vertical distribution of foliage, and hence biodiversity and biomass. This is significant for meeting Australia's international and national en ....A toolkit of statistical methodology for a state-of-the-art software and decision support system for forest assessment using new airborne data. The aim is to develop statistical methods for efficient collection and interpretation of airborne laser data and videography, used to describe characteristics of the forest such as tree species, stand history and vertical distribution of foliage, and hence biodiversity and biomass. This is significant for meeting Australia's international and national environmental obligations, providing quality information to farmers and industry, and hence developing potential jobs in regional areas. Outcomes include a toolkit of statistical methods applicable to spatial modelling and analysis of very large datasets, a statistically valid software product, marketable estimation methods in carbon accounting, technology transfer, training, publications.Read moreRead less
Mixed species plantations: does diversity help tropical eucalypts grow faster, better, longer? To test the assumption that mixtures are better than monocultures, using data from experiments (QFRI) and community plantings. Growth rate, habit (form, branching), timber and soil characteristics in Eucalyptus pellita (Red Mahogany) plantings should elucidate whether mixtures:
1. grow (above-ground woody biomass) faster than pure plantings;
2. have straighter trees with smaller branches;
3. improve ....Mixed species plantations: does diversity help tropical eucalypts grow faster, better, longer? To test the assumption that mixtures are better than monocultures, using data from experiments (QFRI) and community plantings. Growth rate, habit (form, branching), timber and soil characteristics in Eucalyptus pellita (Red Mahogany) plantings should elucidate whether mixtures:
1. grow (above-ground woody biomass) faster than pure plantings;
2. have straighter trees with smaller branches;
3. improve soil fertility; and whether
4. differences are accentuated in subsequent rotations.
E. pellita has valuable dark-red timber, and is widely planted in north Queensland, despite variable performance (3-30 m3/ha/yr, average 10m3/ha/yr). Analyses will reveal opportunities for conservation outcomes and sustainable timber production.Read moreRead less
The Sustainable Effluent Irrigation Project - Effects of effluent irrigation on soil sodicity and groundwater quality. The land application of recycled municipal effluent is now regularly practised by a number of local authorities and agencies responsible for centralised collection of wastewater, its treatment and disposal. Treated municipal effluent is often land applied and used to grow hardwood plantations. Hardwood plantations are very effective in producing large amounts of biomass and also ....The Sustainable Effluent Irrigation Project - Effects of effluent irrigation on soil sodicity and groundwater quality. The land application of recycled municipal effluent is now regularly practised by a number of local authorities and agencies responsible for centralised collection of wastewater, its treatment and disposal. Treated municipal effluent is often land applied and used to grow hardwood plantations. Hardwood plantations are very effective in producing large amounts of biomass and also assist agencies in off-setting wastewater treatment and disposal costs associated with advanced wastewater treatment to remove nutrients. This project will examine the effects of effluent irrigation on soil chemistry and groundwater quality at two hardwood plantations in the Hunter Valley, NSW. It is increasingly clear that large-scale reuse schemes, particularly those involving hardwood plantations, must be designed to be sustainable and have no significant impact on soil chemistry (increasing sodicity) and groundwater. This project will develop irrigation regimes for hardwood plantations which will promote soil productivity and optimize effluent application rates for pollutant removal and biomass production.
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Special Research Initiatives - Grant ID: SR0354740
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$10,000.00
Summary
CaGaWaLo: regulation of carbon gain and water loss by woody vegetation. Trees and shrubs are widely perceived as central to solving problems of national and international significance. Seed funding is sought to facilitate establishment of a research network focused on their ability to sequester carbon and transmit water to the atmosphere. The proposed network is broadly based in plant physiology and ecology and contains a strong cross-section of leading international expertise in relevant sub- ....CaGaWaLo: regulation of carbon gain and water loss by woody vegetation. Trees and shrubs are widely perceived as central to solving problems of national and international significance. Seed funding is sought to facilitate establishment of a research network focused on their ability to sequester carbon and transmit water to the atmosphere. The proposed network is broadly based in plant physiology and ecology and contains a strong cross-section of leading international expertise in relevant sub-disciplines. By leveraging the huge pool of international expertise and focusing on a range of scales (from molecular to biosphere scales), this network will yield new ideas and approaches that will produce outputs and outcomes of national significance.Read moreRead less
Quantifying tree and soil respiration and their responses to global change. The Australian Greenhouse Office, as well as independent analysis, recognizes that belowground processes must be better quantified if Australia's contributions to atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse gases (GG) are to be firmly based. A major issue is the lack of dedicated research focused on soil and plant root emissions of GG and, in particular, a lack of testing of methodologies suited to Australian soils and con ....Quantifying tree and soil respiration and their responses to global change. The Australian Greenhouse Office, as well as independent analysis, recognizes that belowground processes must be better quantified if Australia's contributions to atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse gases (GG) are to be firmly based. A major issue is the lack of dedicated research focused on soil and plant root emissions of GG and, in particular, a lack of testing of methodologies suited to Australian soils and conditions. This project will address these concerns. We will also be addressing the clear need for further training of PhD qualified researchers in the field of climate change. Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE0668477
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$350,000.00
Summary
Upgrade of existing university low field and high field nuclear magnetic resonance facilities. The ongoing pursuit of new medicines and therapies, the development of sustainable forestry management practices and the assessment of the impact of global climate change on Australian forest soils are some of the research objectives being addressed by researchers at Griffith University. The Eskitis Institute for Cell and Molecular Therapies and the Centre for Forestry and Horticultural Research (CFHR) ....Upgrade of existing university low field and high field nuclear magnetic resonance facilities. The ongoing pursuit of new medicines and therapies, the development of sustainable forestry management practices and the assessment of the impact of global climate change on Australian forest soils are some of the research objectives being addressed by researchers at Griffith University. The Eskitis Institute for Cell and Molecular Therapies and the Centre for Forestry and Horticultural Research (CFHR) bring together researchers from a range of disciplines to further research in these key areas. The instruments funded here will provide researchers with access to spectroscopic facilities with state-of-the-art performance. This will ensure the continued international competitiveness and the sustained productivity of our research programmes.Read moreRead less
Stabilization of hydrology at waste disposal sites through revegetation. Persistent drought in the past 20 years has increased the extraction of groundwater reserves by more than 2-fold to meet domestic water requirements throughout Australia. This water resource could be threatened from poorly managed waste disposal sites, where removal of pre-existing vegetation often exacerbates adverse hydrological processes of deep drainage. This study will provide information for the waste management indus ....Stabilization of hydrology at waste disposal sites through revegetation. Persistent drought in the past 20 years has increased the extraction of groundwater reserves by more than 2-fold to meet domestic water requirements throughout Australia. This water resource could be threatened from poorly managed waste disposal sites, where removal of pre-existing vegetation often exacerbates adverse hydrological processes of deep drainage. This study will provide information for the waste management industry that has achieved an annual turnover of more than $200 million in recent years. It will present recommendations on how vegetation can be employed to meet regulatory requirements by the industry.Read moreRead less
Insect herbivore and plant responses in eucalypt forests under climate change at physiological, species and community scales. Understanding the drivers for insect populations and vulnerabilities to climate change are the first steps to predicting adaptation and mitigation strategies to minimise impacts of climate change on forest biodiversity. Our research will quantify the outcome of climate change on the still neglected but important insect community associated with eucalypts in Australian for ....Insect herbivore and plant responses in eucalypt forests under climate change at physiological, species and community scales. Understanding the drivers for insect populations and vulnerabilities to climate change are the first steps to predicting adaptation and mitigation strategies to minimise impacts of climate change on forest biodiversity. Our research will quantify the outcome of climate change on the still neglected but important insect community associated with eucalypts in Australian forests. These insect communities are widespread, diverse and quintessential for the Australian economy and ecology. Apparent climate change is expected to cause biodiversity shifts, leading to outbreaks and extinctions of insects in eucalypt forests. Negative outcomes of impacts could also include the accumulation of leaf litter, increasing bush fire activity in the future.Read moreRead less