Eucalyptus: The money-making tree

An enterprising initiative in Masuliita sub-county targets the young children. Air Serve Foundation, a brainchild of Pentecostal pastor Henry Ddamulira and his wife Rachael at Yesu Akwagala Primary School offers 100 eucalyptus tree seedlings to children with an aim of being able to reap the benefits after six years.

“We want to help parents to be able to raise school fees after six years by giving a space of about 50x100 feet to their children to grow these trees. It is a worthy cause indeed as reputable institutions like Unifreight donated 1,500 seedlings of the 2,000 that were given away to 35 beneficiaries early in December.

For the young children, 100 plants is what could be a solid foundation for their future. Yet according to Julius Ssentumbwe an agronomist with Sustainable Legacy Group, which is based in Bugombe village, Mubende District, the potential is bigger. Why did they choose eucalyptus? Ddamulira says that it was because of its money-making potential.

Money maker
Eucalyptus has many uses including wood, poles and fuelwood. Amidst land wrangles, eucalyptus is just the right solution as it is security on dormant land. Eucalyptus is a rapid growing tree which can reach 20 or 50 metres in height and up to two meters in diameter.

After one and half years, Ssentumbwe says that trees undergo first thinning. Such trees are normally sold as building poles. In most parts of the country each pole is sold at Shs5,000. A full truck can cost about Shs2,000,000 on delivery in Kampala.

“The good thing is that at this stage one is trying to remove unwanted trees yet they have a financial reward,” he said. Investing in trees, especially eucalyptus is the best investment one can make, he says.

With 40 per cent of Uganda’s forest cover estimated to have disappeared in the past 20 years, trees are a gold mine. In case of Air Serve, they are advocating for tree planting to help families sustain themselves and also be able to pay school fees for their children.

There are more than 700 types of eucalyptus across the globe. However the most common in Uganda are eucalyptus grandis (South Africa, & Fort Portal), Camaldulensis, Eucalyptus Tereticomis, the new clone GC550 as well as Eucalyptus citriodora.

Air Serve is promoting the GC550 species which adapt well in most parts of the country yet they produce equally competitive timber and wood products.
Agronomy
There have been concerns by Sawlog Production Grant Scheme (SPGS), the project which provides financial grants and technical support in timber plantations, that many Ugandan farmers have fallen short of silvicultural standards to get the best out of their plantations. So what are the best silvicultural aspects one should follow for the best results? Ssentumbwe says that the first important thing to do is to plan. Whether one needs eucalyptus for timber or fuelwood determines the seed they will require. This is sometimes reliant on the available site and spacing. He says that most eucalyptus species grow well in deep fertile soils.

Planting
With the GC550 species, Ssentumbwe says that they must be planted in lines in a space of 10x10 between plants or 8x8ft. He says that spacing is determined by whether the plants grown are for timber or fuelwood. Closer spacing is ideal for fuelwood or small poles as it leads to an early canopy closure. Ssentumbwe urges farmers to obtain seeds from recommended sources because many breeders have hybridised seed which is not pure.
For small farmers, a hoe deep hole is dug for the seedling. In less fertile soils, he recommends application of DAP, to stimulate root growth. He notes that land should be thoroughly prepared and seeds must be planted early in the rains. After planting, growth needs to be stimulated by application of fertilisers. But he quickly adds that these should be applied depending on nutrient needs which conform to soil tests.

Weeding
The early life of eucalyptus requires weeding since it does not tolerate competition. He recommends non-selective herbicides with proper protection from the trees. This, he suggests that a farmer needs to do round weeding which involves clearing the weeds around the plant. Ssentumbwe is a proponent of non-pruning of eucalyptus. He says that it is not wise to cut off lower branches for the first six feet. “Faster-growing tree species will actually shed lower branches on their own,” he says.

But SPGS scientists have made a different study on pruning which points out that self-pruning happens after two or three years. And when the branches die, knots are left in the wood. Knots are not a big deal in fuelwood but for timber, they will reduce on the value of the final product. SPGS therefore recommends pruning branches up to seven metres for trees planted purposely for timber. If pruning is to be done, it must be done before branches die naturally.

Inter-cropping
Eucalyptus trees can be intercropped with vegetables, according to Ssentumbwe. He suggests non-climbing bean species, cassava, garden eggs (entula). Maize is not recommended. After 12 years, it is recommended to rest the land by planting other crop varieties.

Harvesting
Trees can be harvested after 18 months when they are sold for building poles which could be an important source of early income for the grower and can last up to 10 years. The first thin can be selective by removing one line like every second or third line depending on initial spacing. Later thinning should be more selective, leaving behind the best trees.

Between two and three years, from the more than 1,000 trees, 750 are left. After the fifth year, the numbers should fall from 750-500 and in the eighth year between 250 and 350 plants are recommended in an acre. Through these growing stages, trees fetch different amounts of money.

Market
The major buyers of eucalyptus logs is Umeme which has specific requirements including a tree being at least eight years old; free from spiral grain, decayed knots and splits. Thus while harvesting one must take care to avoid split on felling. Other market opportunities are with local furniture shops.

Concerns
Concerns about the dangers of eucalyptus have refused to go away despite the tree’s growing popularity. According to the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations, growing eucalyptus in low rainfall areas may cause adverse environmental impacts due to competition for water with other species and an increased incidence of allelopathy. Yet Ssentumbwe argues that “what good does it make to leave land redundant when it can be productive with eucalyptus?”