Increased yields of high quality veneer and sawn timber from cuttings of radiata pine

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Abstract
The yield of veneer and sawn timber from 36-year-old plantation-grown radiata pine trees of cutting and seedling origin were compared in a mill study. The cuttings had been taken from 6-year-old trees (7 years from seed) of good vigour, stem form and branching, and of the same seed source as used to grow the trees of seedling origin in the study. The total volume of logs harvested from the cuttings and seedlings was about the same (59.0 m3 c.f. 57.1 m3) but the volume of products recovered was higher in logs derived from the cuttings (24.4 m3 c.f. 20.1 m3). A higher proportion of the logs harvested from the cuttings was accepted for peeling (41.2% c.f. 31.8%).The overall yield in volume of veneer was 43% greater for the cuttings (11.1 m3 c.f. 7.8 m3) and the quality was better, also the number of face-grade veneer sheets from the cuttings billets was twice that from the seedlings. Though the remaining volume of logs from the cuttings sent to the sawmill was lower than that from the seedlings (34.7 m3 c.f. 38.9 m3), the out-turn of sawn timber was higher (13.3 m3 c.f. 12.3 m3) due to better sawn recovery (38.4% c.f. 31.6%) from logs of cutting origin. The higher quality of wood yielded from the cuttings is attributed partly to the effect of selection of trees from which the cuttings were derived but mainly to the physiological age of the cuttings at the time of collection which has resulted in superior form of the trees grown from them.