Productivity of acacia and eucalypt plantations in Southeast Asia. 2. trends and variations

Productivity of commercial acacia and eucalypts plantations in Southeast Asia was analysed using company inventory data to assess growth rates and their variation and trends. Growth rates of Acacia mangium in Sumatra, Indonesia ranged between 22 and 35 m³ /ha/yr before impacted by fungal disease, which reduced growth to 15 m³/ha/yr or lower. The first rotation of Eucalyptus pellita, which replaced A. mangium in Sumatra, produced 16–18 m³ /ha/yr. In south Vietnam, growth of acacia hybrid in the second rotation averaged 23 m³/ha/yr and generally exceeded that of acacia plantations in the first rotation. Growth of acacia hybrid in north Vietnam was slower, at 18 m³/ha/yr. Eucalypts in China grew at between 15 to 28 m³ ha/yr. Growth rates were highly variable spatially within estates managed by individual companies for both eucalypts and acacias. Understanding this variation spatially and in time is critical for developing holistic management and better targeting of research efforts.