Eucalyptus in South China – The Good, The Bad, and The ?

The SENR Spring 2016 Seminar Series welcomes Roger Williams, Associate Professor of Forest Ecosystem Analysis & Management, OSU School of Environment and Natural Resources. Dr. Williams will present Eucalyptus in South China – The Good, The Bad, and The ? in 164 Howlett Hall. The seminar will also be available through Carmen Connect at https://carmenconnect.osu.edu/eucalyptus/.

China’s growing economy and changes in policies that encourage afforestation, particularly in the industrial sector, has led to vast areas in south China being planted with eucalyptus. This has helped fill China’s growing demands for wood fiber and forest products for the booming economy and has proven to be quite profitable. However, these large areas of eucalyptus plantings have elicited environmental concerns for two primary reasons. First there is a concern related to the water demand of eucalyptus and it is feared that large areas of eucalyptus will deplete aquifers and create shortages in water supplies. The second concern is in regard to the reduction in biodiversity across large landscapes, leading to further ecological demises. Therefore studying the ecology and biology of eucalyptus (and the intensive management practices) is necessary to understand a) what the future may hold ecologically and b) how intensive management practices may need to be altered to assure sustainability.