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Tasmanian Timbers
Tasmanian Timbers by Julian B. Sölter on Unsplash

Tasmanian Timbers

Published: Jul 10th, 2021 3:42 PM
Categories: wood

Tasmania, with its unique geographical location and environment, produces some of the best cool climate timber species, along with speciality hardwood and softwood plantations.

Acacia Melanoxylon

Tasmanian Blackwood (Acacia Melanoxylon), a Wattle Species, is a perfect timber for fine furniture, and often comes with spectacular grain and features, grows in most conditions and is found in most places of Tasmania, and can grow to 50 metres in height in ideal conditions.

Phyllocladus Aspeniifolious

Celery Top Pine (Phyllocladus Aspeniifolious), a Native Conifer, is a durable and tough timber, providing a hard wearing surface with a fine-grained appearance. Celery Top Pine mainly grows in the West of Tasmania, and some isolated areas on the East Coast of Tasmania where the climate is much dryer. Celery Top grows to an average height between 15 and 40 metres, with the bark being a reddish brown grey colour with a knobbly surface. The leathery foliage has a distinctive celery like appearance, lending this species it's name. Celery Top is a pale white to yellow colour when cut turning a golden hue once dried. The oldest known Celery Tops are around 800 years old.

Eucrphia Lucida

Leatherwood (Eucrphia Lucida), can be found in the wetter valleys and rugged western regions with high rainfall (more than 250ml). Leatherwood can grow to 30 metres high, with most found being closer to 15 metres, and can live for about 250 years, alongside Sassafras, Blackwood and Myrtles, and can be found growing as an under storey species in the Tall Eucalypt Forest of Tasmania. It is the same tree that Bee's produce Leatherwood Honey, and used often used for furniture, pulpwood, which can be easily bent, and produces beautiful Burl Wood, which is rare and highly prized, and has also been known to produce excellent Fiddle-back grain.

Nothofagus Cunninghamii

Tasmanian Myrtle (Nothofagus Cunninghamii), is a striking timber that is often used as a veneer or finishing timber, or used in high-quality furniture, or skirting boards in homes, and flourishes in the cool temperate rain forests of Tasmania, and can be found growing in other area throughout Tasmania, being found more frequently in the west and north west area's. Myrtle is a slow growing species reaching a maximum of about 30 or 40 metres, living for about 500 years. Tasmanian Myrtle is not related, nor resembles the European Myrtle.

Atherospema Moschatum

Sassafras (Atherospema Moschatum), comes in two major groups, the Golden and Blackheart, with Blackheart Sassafras being the more popular amongst artisans. Sassafras is an under story evergreen tree usually found throughout the cooler temperate rain forests of Tasmania, and generally grow to 45 metre's and 1 metre in diameter in ideal conditions, and can live for around 200 years.

Lagarostrobos Franklinii

Huon Pine (Lagarostrobos Franklinii), a Rare Timber, the prince, and most sought out of the Tasmanian Timbers. From it's richness of its golden hues to it's highly prized figured grain, it is easy to work with, making it the world's most desirably used timber for furniture and crafts. It is an ancient conifer, that has been dated at over two thousands years of age making the species one of the oldest living trees on the planet. Huon Pine trees still growing in Tasmanian rain forests could possibly be older than 5 thousands years of age. Huon Pine can grow to 20 or 30 metres in height, though it is believed some may reach more than 40 metres. Huon Pine only grows in the rain forests of Tasmania, has no sap, with an essential oil (Methyl Eugenol) keeps the wood durable for hundreds of years, and makes the tree highly resistant to fungal diseases and insect attack, which also lends the timber it's colour and aroma.

Olearia Argophylla

Native Musk (Olearia Argophylla), is an under story species, found in rain forests and wetter regions of Tasmania, typically along river banks, and grows to a height between 5 and 15 metres. It has a musk scent, lending to it's name. The produced is a soft creamy brown, with the most prized timber coming from the base of the tree, with the grain from the base area usually being twisted and motley, akin to being Burl like. It is also a difficult timber to season without it checking or splitting.

Eucalyptus Globulus

Tasmanian Blue Gum (Eucalyptus Globulus), the Floral Emblem of Tasmania, the Blue Gum gets its name from the blue-grey colouring of it's foliage when young. The Blue Gum has the potential to reach 70 metres in height, but is generally found around 15 - 25 metres.

Leptospermum Lanigerum

Ti Tree (Leptospermum Lanigerum), quite a large species of tree, there are about 80 known species of Ti Tree in Australia. Usually a shrub that grows to 3 metres, and favours a damp environment, often forming thickets with small diameter stems, though it can grow to a height of around 18 metres in Tasmania as a tall, thin tree.

Acacia Dealbata

Silver Wattle (Acacia Dealbata), a Wattle Species, that can grow to over 30 metres, and is widely found throughout Tasmania. Growing quite rapidly, it is a major under storey species. The timber varies in colour from soft pink to light brown with lighter colour highlights.

Acacia Meansii

Black Wattle (Acacia Meansii), a Wattle Species, is related to Silver Wattle, but requires less moisture than Silver Wattle, but can often be found growing together, although Black Wattle does not like to grow in very wet area's.

Athrotaxis Selaginoides

King Billy Pine (Athrotaxis Selaginoides), a Rare Timber, is an endemic softwood species to Tasmania. Growing to between 25 and 30 metres, it is a medium sized slow growing tree with a fibrous bark and is furrowed, found in the wetter and mountainous areas of Tasmania.



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