Bergin, D.O. 2000. Current knowledge relevant to management of Podocarpus totara for timber. New Zealand Journal of Botany 38(3):343-359.

Abstract

The silviculture and ecology of the New Zealand endemic tree Podocarpus totara (totara) relevant to management for timber production, either in plantations or in managed, naturally regenerating second-growth stands, is reviewed. There is increasing interest in information on the management of tree species indigenous to New Zealand for a range of objectives including timber production. Previous studies and observations have identified a range of features that make totara a species worthy of further evaluation for growing as a specialty timber tree. These include its cultural and heritage values; durability and machining qualities of the wood; wide distribution; tolerance of a wide variety of sites; ease with which seedlings can be raised in a nursery; good growth rates; potential genetic gains in both growth and form; and amenability to tending. There is also a range of non-timber benefits in managing a long-term resource of totara. In addition to the interest in planting and managing totara for timber, there is a large resource of naturally regenerating second-growth stands in many regions throughout the country that have the potential to be managed and provide a supply of wood. Matters requiring investigation include quantifying growth rates and yield of both planted and naturally regenerating stands, determining the resource of natural second-growth stands that could be managed, identifying factors that influence the growth of heartwood, identifying low-impact management interventions, and evaluating a range of silvicultural systems that may be suitable for managing totara as a long-rotation specialty species.