Trial Site Name: Macbeth

Owner/Manager:

Robb Macbeth

“The block in question is a steep, north facing, erosion prone, infertile, dry hill country block with skeletal soils (and Nasella tussock). Past use included one to two grazings per year by sheep, so removing it from the farm was not going to significantly affect the stocking rate or profitability.

As the block sits just behind our house, and is next to some highly eroded land, we thought it would be prudent to have it in forest rather than pasture, to avoid any future slippage during storms. Given the site characteristics and my interest in eucalypts it was a small step from planting a trial site at Phoebe Plains (5kms away) to doing the same on this site, albeit with a bit of a different species mix.

We also wanted to plant something that had a higher value potential end use, and could potentially be harvested selectively rather than clear-felled. They will also look a lot nicer in a drought than dry hill country pasture!"

Robb Macbeth

Location:

Leamington – 10kms West of Cheviot Township in North Canterbury

Trials established

1. Species Demonstration trial (2014): E argophloia, E bosistoana, E camaldulensis, E cladolcalyx, E globoidea, E longifolia, E macrorhyncha, E quadrangulata, E tricarpa

Photos of trial site