Achievements in forest tree genetic improvement in Australia and New Zealand 1: Eucalyptus pilularis Smith tree improvement in Australia

Eucalyptus pilularis Smith (blackbutt) is an important commercial plantation species on the north coast of NSW, with the first plantations being established in 1939. In 1997 Forests NSW established its first breeding population of E. pilularis and in the subsequent 9 y the organisation has undertaken an aggressive improvement program for the species. Forests NSW has established 4.9 ha of clonal seed orchards of E. pilularis, and in parallel, is developing clones for commercial deployment through selection and testing. The Forests NSW tree improvement program for E. pilularis places heavy emphasis on improving the wood properties of young plantation-grown material so it can successfully replace wood from the native forest resource that is the feedstock for the established processing industry in the region.