With total funding of nearly R20 million over five years (2024 to 2028), researchers at the Hans Merensky Chair in Advanced Modelling of Eucalypt Growth and Wood Formation (or EucXylo) at Stellenbosch University (SU) are well placed to take their work on Eucalyptus (or gum trees) to the next level.
Housed in SU's Department of Forest and Wood Science and led by Prof Dave Drew, the EucXylo programme was recently granted over R17 million from the Hans Merensky Legacy Foundation, which has been funding the ten-year initiative since 2019. In addition, EucXylo secured R 2,7 million through the Department of Science and Innovation's Sector Innovation Fund, administered for the forest industry by Forestry South Africa.
“We are grateful to the Hans Merensky Legacy Foundation and Forestry South Africa for this investment in our programme. It opens up a wide range of new possibilities to explore several new frontiers in Forest Science research," says Prof Dave Drew, who is an Associate Professor in the Department of Forest and Wood Science.
“Eucalypts are fascinating. They are the world's largest flowering trees. And they are also an important backbone of our sustainable forest products industry in South Africa. The EucXylo programme contributes important basic and applied research to understand key questions faced by our industry. We are also training a new generation of biological and forest scientists for South Africa."
According to Drew, a centrepiece of the EucXylo programme over the upcoming five-year phase will be the implementation of the IMPACT Open-Air Laboratory (OAL) at Lourensford farm near Somerset West.
“In partnership with the owners and management of the farm, a ten-hectare research facility is being established, with planting of trees in a comprehensive design planned for April 2024. This flagship facility will show-case cutting edge monitoring technology using state of the art sensor systems connected to the Internet of Things, remote sensing systems including advanced LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) technology and detailed characterization of site and environmental variables."
Drew adds that from later in 2024 the IMPACT OAL will be open to scientists and students from all backgrounds who may be interested in conducting research on plantation forest ecology and how trees (and eucalypts in particular) grow and form their wood. The facility will also be opened to the public and schools to allow the community to experience an example of excellent forest science and to better understand the process of producing sustainable wood and fibre products.
Commenting on the Hans Merensky Legacy Foundation's continued support for the EucXylo programme Mr Chris Pienaar, a trustee of the Board, said “one of Dr Merensky's legacies was the sustainable management of Eucalyptus trees. The Board are committed to work with Prof Drew and Stellenbosch University to advance our collective knowledge of how these remarkable trees grow and how modern science can add to economic prosperity. In addition, we take pride in the development of young minds through this collaboration with Stellenbosch University".
Echoing the sentiments of both Drew and Pienaar, the Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Research, Innovation and Postgraduate Studies at SU, Prof Sibusiso Moyo, said “we are very pleased to partner with the Hans Merensky Legacy Foundation on this exciting next phase of the EucXylo project. With its focus on cutting-edge forest science and sustainable forest management, it is an excellent example of a programme that brings brilliant people into the University and connects researchers."
- The Department of Forest and Wood Science at Stellenbosch University is the only university department in South Africa offering a comprehensive four-year BSc degree programme in both Forest Science and Wood Product Science, thus covering the entire forestry value chain. It is also the only tertiary institution in the country providing an educational offering at BSc, MSc and PhD levels in both Forest and Natural Resource and Wood Products Science. The Department strives to produce versatile managers and researchers for the wood processing and timber growing industries with the skills to manage and understand all the intricacies of technology transfer.
Photo: Prof Dave Drew (middle) with team members at the site where the IMPACT Open-Air Laboratory will be established.
