Plantation Sustainability – Environment
Pesticides
Pesticides are used in the management of plantation forests for similar purposes as they are in other agricultural systems - to control competitive growth of other plants and reduce the impact of pest and disease attack.
Failure to control the growth of competing plants can significantly reduce early growth and survival rates – and either reduce the overall production from the plantation or increase the time taken to reach plantation maturity.
What is a pesticide?
‘Any chemical or chemical mixture used for controlling weds, insects, fungi, nematodes and animals, which adversely affect growth (quantity and quality) and the health of plantations.’
The following key points are highlighted in a recent review of the use of chemical pesticides by the Australian plantation forest industry published by the Forest and Wood Products Research and Development Corproation:
- Plantation forestry use is a minor component of the total Australian pesticide use, accounting for less than an estimated 1% of the total annual use of around $2.4 billion in 2003/04.
- The chemical pesticides used in plantation forestry in Australia have been developed for other uses and have been adapted to the needs of the industry.
- With the exception of sulfometuron methyl (One common trade name is ‘Oust’), all chemical pesticides used by the Australian plantation forestry industry are also used in food production systems by Australian agriculture.
- Of the most used or top 13 herbicides (based on value) in use in plantation forests, five are available for purchase from hardware stores and supermarkets.
- The adaptation and use of chemical pesticides by the Australian plantation industry is under the same regulatory framework as applied to all other chemical pesticide users.
- There are fundamental differences in the way chemical pesticides are used by the Australian plantation forestry industry compared to agriculture. Use in plantations is most usually confined to the first two to three years of a plantation crop cycle (for example a ten year crop cycle for pulpwood or a 30 year crop cycle for sawlogs), after which application is generally reactive to pests and diseases. In contrast agricultural crops tend to have a higher frequency of use and potentially multiple applications each year or for each crop.
- The Australian plantation industry had developed and adapted a range of application technology to meet industry needs and best practice environmental standards.
- Aerial application of chemical pesticides by the plantation forestry industry accounts for a maximum of 0.5% of the around ten million hectares treated each year across Australia.
The use of chemical pesticides by the Australian plantation forest industry
For a full explanation of the key points above, see ‘Pesticides in Plantations The use of chemical pesticides by the Australian plantation forest industry’ Summary Report (pdf) or the full report ‘The use of chemical pesticides by the Australian plantation forest industry’ (pdf) (B.M. Jenkin and B.Tomkins September 2006).
Commitment to sustainability and reduced pesticide use
In its sustainability action plan ‘performance, people and prosperity’, the Australian Plantation Products and Paper Industry Council detail their intent to ‘Balance the desire for less chemical use with benefits of improved growth by: using the lowest toxicity and quantity consistent with effectiveness and continually seeking and reviewing alternatives.‘
Access the plan summary: ‘people, performance and prosperity’ summary report (pdf).
