Eucalyptus Plantation Establishment Budget

[Roadman]

I realise this topic has several listings in the past. However having reviewed them I have found very little information on establishment costs to budget for as most of them have turned into debate on the merits of Eucalyptus plantations. Save your time on debating the merits as this project is going ahead regardless. Any information in terms of costs will be welcomingly received.

My wife has 27 rai of family farm land that she is taking ownership of this year and a further 45 rai in another year. As we live here in New Zealand she will be an absentee land owner for the next 8 or 9 years but security of the plantations is coverted as she has trust worthy family members living on the properties, and owning surrounding properties. One of her favourite nephews is also the local man in brown.

We have set on planting the seedlings as the same we do for our Eucalyptus plantation (pulp thin / sawlog clearfell) regimes here in New Zealand with an initial stocking of 3m by 3m for 177 seedling per rai.

My wife works dam_n hard for her money so the questions I have to safeguard my wifes investments are:-

The cost of ridge mounding per rai?

The cost of seedlings per each or thousand?

The cost of DAP (diamoniate phosphate or local environment fertiliser) per tablet or kilogram and recommended gram application rate per tree?

Wages cost per thousand to plant and fertilise?

Anything else that should be budgeted for? Weed control I presume would be required 4 to 6 months down the track and I am assuming it would be by hand or motor manual.

Any help would be appreciated.

[stoneman]

I realise this topic has several listings in the past. However having reviewed them I have found very little information on establishment costs to budget for as most of them have turned into debate on the merits of Eucalyptus plantations. Save your time on debating the merits as this project is going ahead regardless. Any information in terms of costs will be welcomingly received.

My wife has 27 rai of family farm land that she is taking ownership of this year and a further 45 rai in another year. As we live here in New Zealand she will be an absentee land owner for the next 8 or 9 years but security of the plantations is coverted as she has trust worthy family members living on the properties, and owning surrounding properties. One of her favourite nephews is also the local man in brown.

We have set on planting the seedlings as the same we do for our Eucalyptus plantation (pulp thin / sawlog clearfell) regimes here in New Zealand with an initial stocking of 3m by 3m for 177 seedling per rai.

My wife works dam_n hard for her money so the questions I have to safeguard my wifes investments are:-

The cost of ridge mounding per rai?

The cost of seedlings per each or thousand?

The cost of DAP (diamoniate phosphate or local environment fertiliser) per tablet or kilogram and recommended gram application rate per tree?

Wages cost per thousand to plant and fertilise?

Anything else that should be budgeted for? Weed control I presume would be required 4 to 6 months down the track and I am assuming it would be by hand or motor manual.

Any help would be appreciated.

I think you best bet to get the best answers to your questions would be to pose them to your trustworthy family members living on the properties...

Is there a reason for not asking them?

Stoneman

[Roadman]

quote]

I think you best bet to get the best answers to your questions would be to pose them to your trustworthy family members living on the properties...

Is there a reason for not asking them?

Stoneman

Hi Stoneman,

That is going to occur this weekend when my wife talks to her brother in law who has a 3 year old plantation on a property in the same location. The family members are very trustworthy and look after their little sister very well, but as her family members are all teachers and not farmers or contract managers, a contractor could give them a price that they think may be OK but in actual may be more than the going rate.

Being a contracts manager myself (in the forest industry) the more info you get the better is your position to judge the merit of any given price.

Cheers

Roadman