The weather is getting cooler and the local pine plantations are being primed for planting.
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Grafton and Walcha Forestry Corporation of NSW staff have been busy updating their planting assessment skills in preparation for onboarding of the seasonal planting workforce.
More than nine million seedlings will be planted between May and September in the region during the 2019 planting season.
"Correct planting is an essential step in the plantation life-cycle," said Forestry Corporation's Plantation Improvement Manager, Phil Green.
"The training was all about setting a consistent, clear and concise interpretation of the planting standard.
Combined, these plantations produce enough timber to construct a quarter of the homes built in Australia each year
- Phil Green
"Having a correct and shared understanding of the planting standard required of contractors is pivotal to getting the right result upfront when the tiny seedlings are planted."
Mr Green said plantations had a lifespan of more than 30 years and correct planting set the treelings on the right course to grow to be suitable for the range of forest products harvested.
"The seedlings we plant today will grow into the trees that are going to build the new houses, home extensions and backyard fences 35 years from now so this is one of the most important times in our plantation cycle," he said.
Forestry Corporation's Softwood Plantations Division manages Australia's largest softwood plantation estate, responsible for more than 230,000 hectares of pine plantations across NSW.
"Combined, these plantations produce enough timber to construct a quarter of the homes built in Australia each year," Mr Green said.