Paulownia Timber
History Paulownia timber is a deciduous hardwood tree that was introduced in Australia. Paulownia is native to China and other parts of South East Asia. Historical writings from China, recorded as far back as 1049 BC, indicate that Paulownia trees were grown in plantations for the production of high quality timber. Traditional methods of tree cultivation and reforestation are not capable of keeping pace with the global demand for quality timber. Plantation forestry is obviously a key for acceptable sustained forest management worldwide. There are many myths and legends associated with the Paulownia tree as it holds great cultural value in many Asian countries. One such myth is the myth of the Phoenix. It is written in the works of Zhuang Tze: and without eating anything but bamboo fruit". The Chinese describe the Paulownia as the 4 sided tree, as it grows by the side of the house, the side of the river, the side of the paddock and the side of the road. In traditional cultures of Japan when a girl is born the family will often plant a Paulownia tree. When the girl marries the family will make a wedding chest from the Paulownia timber. top Characteristics The Paulownia tree has several distinguishing characteristics. They include:
Colour - consistently dries to a light honey to blond in colour. Grain - beautifully grained with a silky, satin appearance. Machine ability - low in resin and free of volatile oils, consquently it is easily worked and moulded. Joining - excellent adherence with glues - joints and hinges hold fast with screws - can be edge nailed without splitting. Finishing - accepts oil and spirit-based stains, lacquers, polishes and paints. Special Qualities - sound absorbent, rapid drying, gently on machinery, high strength to weight ratio. top Properties Studies have revealed a number of excellent features of the unusual Paulownia tree.
Workshop Attributes Nailing - Paulownia can be nailed by hand or air-actuated tool. Bearing in mind Paulownia is a relatively soft timber and therefore requires lower pressures to effect the desired penetration. Paulownia has a low tendency to split and is best used in conjunction with an adhesive. Screwing - Hand and power driven screws are suitable for use with Paulownia provided that adequate attention is given to the settings, so as not to overdrive the screw and reduce the holding ability of the thread. Good results can be obtained by observing these constraints particularly when using power - drive screws. The uniformity of grain in Paulownia gives more consistent results with minimal splitting. Gluing - Paulownia has been tested with five different brands of PVA, Cross-linked PVA and Urea Formaldehyde adhesives. Samples were prepared with each type of adhesive and Standard Separation tests conducted. Manufacturers recommendations were observed for each adhesive. 100% of the tested samples passed i.e. they did not separate along the glue line. AlI gave excellent results with minimal clamping time. Comparative tests between Paulownia and other hardwoods all showed the superiority of Paulownia timber with respect to fast cure time and uniform glue time. In all cases, using PVA adhesives on Paulownia halved the average time required for clamping. The time and cost saving in a board jointing production run is obvious. Sanding - Paulownia is easy to sand. A smooth finish can be achieved using minimal effort. Sanding materials generally last much longer with Paulownia than other hardwoods. A fine finish is achieved in much less time. There is a very low resin content in Paulownia, which results in longer sandpaper life and less clogging of belts and pad sanders. Machining - Paulownia is easy to saw, plane, mould, turn and carve. Low silica content results in longer life of all tool edges when working with Paulownia. AII facets of power machining of this timber should give good results. Staining and Finishing - Paulownia accepts paints and stains well. Oil and spirit stains are easily applied and give excellent results. A suitable sanding sealer is recommended before the application of clear finishes. Opaque finishes adhere readily. Light sanding between coats is recommended. Lining Boards - Paulownia boards are suitable for lining in all interior walls and ceiling situations including bathrooms and saunas. They can be fixed vertically, horizontally and diagonally. Lining boards can be supplied dressed so that they can be sealed with a moisture excluding coating. Lining boards should be supported at a maximum of 600mm spacings. In kitchen and bathroom areas it is recommended that Paulownia be sealed on both sides before fixing. Two to three coats of a polyurethane clear resin will give good protection of exposed surfaces. Doors and Windows - The lightness and relative strength of Paulownia makes it an ideal timber for exposed joinery such as external doors and windows. Tests have shown that Paulownia, in its natural state, has an outdoor durability rating comparable to Western Red Cedar. To preserve the natural appearance of Paulownia some form of proprietary coating should be applied. Exterior Cladding - The natural durability of Paulownia lends itself to exterior cladding applications either in its natural blond coloured state or colour matched to suit the environment. It is recommended that an appropriate water-repellent sealant be applied (minimum two coats) before fixing. Where heavy exposure may be encountered Paulownia responds well to light organic solvent (LOSP) type preservatives, increasing outdoor life by preventing the onset of decay. top Traditional Uses of Paulownia Traditional uses of Paulownia in many Asian countries include:
Modern Uses of Paulownia Due to the lightweight nature of Paulownia, it is also being recognized for modern applications including:
Forestry Requirements To achieve the maximum yield, Paulownia trees require sandy loam soils, plentiful water and high solar radiation during their growing period. The "Kiri Park" property, in the region north of Gingin, provides good environment for a Paulownia plantation. Climate - Paulownia fortuneis a deciduous tree, indigenous to south and east China, that has been grown successfully around the world in plantations in a wide range of climatic zones. Naturally it occurs between latitudes 20 degrees and 30 degrees mostly in the warm temperate to tropical zones. The temperature range in its natural distribution is –10°C to 40°C with an annual rainfall of 500 to 1200mm mostly during spring and summer. The species is not tolerant of prolonged drought or waterlogged conditions. Because of the Mediterranean climate (wet winter/dry summer) in this region of Australia, the Paulownia tree must be irrigated if good growth rates are to be achieved. Paulownia is a sunlight loving tree (high light saturation point and low light compensation point). High solar radiation during summer in this region is advantageous for maintaining a high photosynthetic rate to sustain rapid growth. The growing season at Kiri Park is longer than in the southwest region south of Perth, Western Australia. Overall, the climate at Kiri Park is very suitable for growing Paulownia. Two to four year old trees are growing well at Kiri Park. Soils - Paulownia has a deep root system with extensive lateral roots. This root system can forage for near-surface nutrients and explore sub-soils up to 5 metres for water. Like most trees, Paulownia performs best on deep, well-drained soils (pH 5 – 6) with good aeration. Paulownia grows well on sands to heavy loams where there are readily available nutrients. The property at Kiri Park has both loamy and sandy soils that in the past supported a tall woodland of eucalypts. The soil profile has good water and nutrient holding capacities. Fertilizers were regularly applied to the soil to support pastures in the past, thus there is a residue of nutrients for plantation establishment. The addition of fertilizer during the growing season via the irrigation system, is applied at Kiri Park to enhance the soil nutrients for the tree. Water - The absence of summer rain at the Kiri Park property requires that over 500mm of rainfall above that of evaporation be provided from irrigation during the growing period. Paulownia requires between 30 to 40 litres of water per tree per day depending on age and weather conditions. Adequate water for the Kiri Park Projects is available from developed bores and a dam which was constructed to provide water security. The Waters and Rivers Commission has granted a Water Licence to EFF allowing us to pump over 1.7 gigalitres per annum from the superficial aquifer. This adequate to provide the required water to the Kiri Park Projects. The water is of drinking quality, being low in iron and other ions. The low salt (NaCl) level is also important for good growth. Silviculture of Paulownia - Clonal lines of Paulownia fortuneis, taken from selected, 3 year old trees. The trees were selected on the following attributes: fast growth rate, canopy structure, trunk form and wood quality. This approach is standard in clonal plantation forestry. The plus trees are registered with the Australian Tree Breeders Association (PBR). This species appears best suited to Western Australian growing conditions north of Perth. The clonal planting material is being produced by organ culture from "mother plants" maintained by EFF. These selections provide uniformity and increased productivity of the plantation under W.A. conditions. The plantlets from organ culture will be raised in a containerised nursery and hardened off prior to planting. top Why Grow Paulownia? The Australian Plantation Market The continual increasing demand for quality timber, combined with global trends to restrict the logging of natural rain forests and old growth forests, is likely to result in a world shortage of quality timber in the medium to long term. Whilst there has been a significant expansion of timber plantations in Australia over the past decade, in 1999 plantation timber still only accounted for approximately 3% of the worlds forests. The rate of expansion of timber plantations is likely to increase due to numerous factors including:
Adviser Edge Independent Investment Research has found that: top end of all MIS projects in terms of returns". Because of the short rotation sawlog producing nature of Paulownia plantations, returns are much higher than short rotation Euclayptus wood chip plantations and returns are received much earlier than sawlog producing Eucalyptus plantations. top World Timber Supply The global deforestation and over cutting, particularly in the Asia-Pacific region has directly contributed to the increasing market share of composite timber products. Previous supplier countries of round and sawnwood such as The Phillipines, Thailand, Indonesia and Malaysia are no longer willing to sell non value added product into the international market, and have in some cases imposed bans on the export of sawn timber. There is also a significant shift in the world timber trade from one sourced from natural forests to one sourced from plantations. The volume of timber sourced from plantations is expected to increase significantly over the next decade with the supply of plantation timber increasing from 414 million cubic meters per year to an estimated 600 million cubic meters per year in 2010. Paulownia is well placed to fulfill part of this expected demand. In addition, logging activities have concentrated on the better quality strands of timber further reducing the supply of quality timber. At the present rate of extraction calculations show that within 55 years, all the rain forests of the world will have completely vanished. Many nations are now calling for a complete stop to the harvest of naturally grown timbers. A number of major timber producing countries are restricting their natural forest logging activities, including the world's largest timber exporter, Malaysia, which has halved its log exports from East Malaysia (Sabah and Sarawak) in line with the recommendations made by the International Tropical Timber Organisation (ITTO). Many countries are now only importing timber grown in plantations. It is therefore clearly evident that the supply of quality timber will be in short supply in the medium to long term. top World Timber Demand Japan is the largest importer of timber in the world, representing 40% of world trade. Demand for quality timber and timber products in developing nations worldwide are showing unprecedented growth. Imports into China rose threefold between 1991 and 1996. If China's per capita use of forest products were to rise to the same level of Japan, China's import requirements would exceed Japan's by nine times. However, the supply of these products is gradually dwindling, primarily because many producers are implementing changes to their policies on deforestation. There are many countries in south-east Asia, most notably Thailand, who have changed there status from significant exporters to net importers. The global demand for timber has continued to increase since the mid 1980's, and with timber products becoming increasingly popular, the world wide demand for timber is likely to continue its strong growth. top Current Paulownia Pricing  Figure: Pricing of Paulownia as at the 7 May 2004 (Source: Unisearch, 7th May 2004) top Environment Benefits There are many environmental benefits that result from investment in a timber plantation. They include:
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