Research on planting stock and forest regeneration in South Africa

Unlike countries with substantial forest resources, South Africa has a limited area available for forestry development and timber production. This is mainly because of insufficient rainfall for a viable timber production in most of the country, and the priority to utilize land for other purposes such as food production, fundamental community needs and water harvesting. The timber production has steadily increased over the last years, mainly due to breeding strategies and intensive silviculture. The variety of sites and products, as well as the need for improved and product-specific timber properties, force the grower to utilize a multitude of species, hybrids and clones in a fairly uniform operational system. Research-derived plantation forestry in South Africa provides examples of successful biological technology, yet its optimization needs attention. A better integration of components in the `harvesting/processing-nursery-regeneration-tending-harvesting/processing' cycle offers a tremendous challenge for future research.