The potential suitability of provenances of Eucalyptus gunnii for short rotation forestry in the UK

Climate change and concern about the security of energy supplies has raised the profile of renewable energy of which one potential source is woody biomass. One approach to growing woody biomass is short rotation forestry which involves growing single stems over rotations of between 10 and 20 years. A genus that would appear particularly productive is Eucalyptus; however, only a few species are suited to the UK climate. One of the most cold-tolerant species is Eucalyptus gunnii and the potential growth and survival of provenances of this species was tested in a series of trials established across the UK in 1981. This paper reports twenty-five year results of a trial at Glenbranter, southwest Scotland. Of those provenances only those from Lake Mackenzie, Tasmania were both well-adapted to the extremes of the UK climate and exhibited useful rates of growth. The two other species in the trial, E. glaucescens and E. urnigera, were not suited to the site.