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RED IRONBARK HISTORY/INDUSTRY Red Ironbark is a native to the central west of Victoria. Its natural range roughly equates to the area that saw the Victorian Gold rush in the mid 1800’s which is a triangle drawn around Ballarat, Bendigo and St Arnaud.
Unfortunately for the Red ironbark forests, the timber was ideal for the use in underground mines - it was incredibly string and highly resistant to rot and insect attack. The majority of the natural forests were felled to make props for mine shafts. The harvesting continued to supply firewood for steam engines used in rail and other industry at the time. Today only about 18% of the native forests remain, and these are largely protected by the State Government The timber is again being highly valued for its strength, colour and durability and is being used in a wide range of building applications Sawlogs Sawlogs are harvested to be processed into structural timber. Structural timber is used in building and construction. Ironbark is used in a range of applications that require high strength (eg posts, supports beams etc) high durability (eg when placed in the ground and need to resist insect attack) and where a rich red colour is required ( eg exposed floor boards in homes)
Firewood Red Ironbark provides one of the higher heat value timbers for use as firewood. Firewood, when grown sustainably and used in modern slow combustion burners is one of the few truly environmentally sustainable fuels. The timber must first be grown and this absorbs carbon from the atmosphere. The burning releases this carbon but then as ne trees grow this is reabsorbed. The State Government of Victoria is actively promoting the use of plantation grown firewood as a strategy for sustainability |
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