permaculture

["Paul Osmond" <p_osmond@hotmail.com>]

>Have you any experience with Eucalyptus in terms of termite resistance?
>Unfortunately someone planted a lot of it on their place before they 
bought it
>and they think it is great because the trees are big.  But in Paraguay,
>espeically, one wants to be planting native timber trees because the 
country
>is almost entirely deforested (2 or 3 years to zero forest).  I'd like 
to be
>able to tell them to cut their eucalyptus to have termite -resistant 
wood, but
>only if it is true, of course.

I can't comment on Paraguayan termites, but our Australian termites do 
enjoy a feed of eucalyptus. 

However, some euc. species are more resistant than others - River Red 
Gum (Eucalyptus camaldulensis) for instance was generally used for 
railway sleepers (ties) before being passed over in favour of concrete. 
Surplus Red Gum sleepers are now widely used for retaining walls, 
terracing etc. in Australia and often last for decades, although 
(depending on the area) they may succumb sooner or later. 

Let me know what species of eucalypts are grown in Paraguay and I can 
check on their termite resistance - for Australian termites anyway.

Paul Osmond

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