LUFKIN, TX – Joe Pitcheralle of Buna received the Forest Innovation Award for his efforts to develop eucalyptus as a viable short-rotation woody crop for pulp and biomass production in the United States at Texas Forestry Association’s (TFA) annual convention held Oct. 21-23, 2015, at the Hilton in College Station, Texas.
From its outset in 2006, the eucalyptus program has been conducted at an operational scale in East Texas and western Louisiana because it is much more difficult to anticipate operational-scale management issues that can arise based on research done in smaller plots.
“Joe has been vital to making operational-scale plantations become a reality,” said Misty Bowie, TFA’s Education Coordinator and Texas PLT Co-Coordinator. “He and his team have researched many species and varieties to find those best suited to the climate of our region. They also created silvicultural guidelines for growing eucalyptus and developed a unique short-term land leasing system that differs from how forest products are traditionally grown on private land.”
Westrock, formerly Westvaco, has been transparent about all components of their eucalyptus management; their interest is in fostering the growth of these plantations by other forest product companies and forest landowners. “To share information, they have partnered with extension specialists in Texas and Louisiana on field tours, workshops, and publications. Joe has been an integral part of all of these efforts,” said Bowie.
Westrock and the National Council for Air and Stream Improvement have also partnered with Stephen F. Austin State University to study the potential impacts of eucalyptus on regional avian and vegetation diversity. Their interest in proactively examining bird and vegetative communities of eucalyptus stands demonstrates that the company has a more comprehensive concern with the full implications of the eucalyptus project.