Clonal Forestry in the Eucalypts

Abstract

The earliest operational use of rooted cuttings in plantations of forest trees was not with the eucalypts, since rooted cuttings were used over 100 years ago in Cryptomeria japonica (Ono 1882). This kind of regeneration has been common in plantations of Populus spp. and Salix spp. Currently, however, the largest operational clonal forestry programs are with several species in the genus Eucalyptus. For nearly 20 years, large plantings of rooted cuttings of eucalypts have been made in the tropical and sub-tropical areas of Africa (Delwaulle 1985), South America (Campinhos and Ikemori 1977), and in other areas such as the Mediterranean region and South Africa. A few programs are very large — for example, one company in Brazil plants nearly 30 million Stecklings per year and its program is expanding annually. The largest programs have received a great deal of publicity; an example is Aracruz Florestal in Brazil, which has achieved breakthrough successes with rooted cuttings (Fig. 1); its foresters have received the prestigious Wallenberg Prize from Sweden in recognition of their pioneering efforts (Wallenberg Foundation 1984).