Acacia

[Bogoak]

I would say it might need plenty of attention to persuade it to form a single, straight stem, because that doesn’t seem to be its natural habit.

[Dan Maynard]

.... coppices well, or sprouts up all over the lawn when you cut one down, depending on how you look at it.

[Steve Bullman]

37 minutes ago, Bogoak said:

I would say it might need plenty of attention to persuade it to form a single, straight stem, because that doesn’t seem to be its natural habit.

I’m sure planted close together would fix that. I’ve seen plenty of single straight stemmed regrowth before on acacia 

[Bogoak]

1 hour ago, Steve Bullman said:

I’m sure planted close together would fix that. I’ve seen plenty of single straight stemmed regrowth before on acacia 

I believe William Cobbet MP thought he might make money out of Robina back in the 18th C. I don’t think it went to plan. 

 

There’s no denying they make useful timber mind.

Edited May 3, 2019 by Bogoak

[Khriss]

18 hours ago, Robbyrasta said:

Has anyone got any experience or knowledge of growing acacia in the Uk?

 

 Two plots, one of failed larch, wind blow and another plot of failed Douglas, again wind blow. Looking for something a bit different. Sitka,Scots or Corsican would be alternatives.

 

Scots ( red squirrels ! ) or Sitka, Robinia is rubbish. K

[Robbyrasta]

Why’s it rubbish?

 

looking for saw log trees the end and sometimg that is suited to the climate in the future.

 

Edited May 3, 2019 by Robbyrasta

[The avantgardener]

4 hours ago, Robbyrasta said:

Why’s it rubbish?

 

looking for saw log trees the end and sometimg that is suited to the climate in the future.

 

I have taken down and felled quite large Robinia many times and can’t remember any of them being sound at the butt, these where all individual garden trees that had grown too large for their surrounding and in the North of England so I would be dubious about the long term for saw log.

I think a coppice rotation similar to SC would work best, maybe leave the odd maiden in to see the result.

For saw log I would go for Douglas Fir or Western Red Cedar, Corsican suffers from RBNB and I hate Sitka although it probably gives you the most yield, It all depends on location, soil type etc

[Mick Dempsey]

There are many saw mills around here, I don’t know any of them that use acacia for anything other than fence posts and firewood.

 

Douglas is high value quick growing saw logs (at least it seems to get the saw mill guys excited when I offer it up to them)

 

 

[Mick Dempsey]

I’m reminded of a young farming couple across the valley from me. They have a couple of plots of Douglas ( probably planted in the 70s) most of which have blown over or died years ago, a few have thrived and have reached 30 metres and a very decent girth, a while back they felled three of them, planked them up onsite and built another big barn to house their beef herd.

 

Astonishingly quick turnaround, probably take oak 10 times longer to produce the same amount of wood.

 

Love to hear what real forestry guys think.

 

 

[Robbyrasta]

Douglas would be the preferred tree, but Both these plots won’t keep it standing. About a foot of soil then solid white clay below. Could be said that nothing quick growing will stand up.

western red cedar is another suggestion.