MELALEUCA RHAPHIOPHYLLA BARK HARVEST CONDITIONS FOR SUSTAINABLE ENGINEERED BARK BOARD PRODUCTION

This study investigated sustainable bark harvesting from swamp paperbark (Melaleuca rhaphiophylla) in order to produce engineered wood products, namely bark boards. The influence of bark condition on bark board properties and when to harvest bark were investigated. Bark was manually harvested on five occasions between October 2022 and February 2025 from seven different trees at a site in the South-West of Western Australia. The moisture content and weathered condition of the bark were assessed. A total of 70 kg of bark was harvested across the 29-month period with up to 18 kg of bark being harvested from a single tree. The influence of bark condition on bark properties has permitted recommendations to be made on when bark should be harvested, and which bark is better suited to the manufacture of bark boards. It has been possible to sustainably harvest bark over the period without causing fatality to the trees despite the Southwest being in drought during that period. This study suggests that bark should be harvested after a four-week period of low rainfall and humidity, with at least 18 months in between harvest to allow bark to weather, with the first harvest occurring when the girth of the tree is between 900 mm and 1800 mm.