Whitewood (Endospermum medullosum) is a useful timber species, previously sourced from native forests and now available from plantations in Vanuatu. However, plantation-grown whitewood will have about 30% more knotty wood than previously experienced in logs from native forest. This will impact on the economics of growing and processing whitewood, and on potential uses of the timber. Opportunities to add value to knotty wood are to produce large section structural lumber, to recover short lengths of clear wood for furniture, and to treat heartwood with preservative chemicals to enable structural use in exposed and in-ground applications.Bois de coupe de bois blanc de plantations à Vanuatu: défis et opportunités pour l'exportation et l'usage domestique R. VIRANAMANGGA, G. PALMER et K. GLENCROSS Le bois blanc (Endospermum medullosum) est une essence utile, qui provenait auparavant de forêts natives et qui est maintenant disponible en plantation à Vanuatu. Cependant, le bois blanc cultivé en plantation aura un bois 30% plus noueux que le bois obtenu auparavant en provenance des forêts natives. Cela va impacter l'économie de la croissance et de la préparation du bois blanc, ainsi que ses utilisations potentielles. Des opportunités pour ajouter de la valeur aux bois noueux consistent à produire de coupes structurelles à section large, pour récupérer des petites longueurs de bois clair pour le mobilier, et à traiter le coeur du bois avec des produits préservatifs, pour permettre une utilisation structurale dans des applications exposées et dans la terre.La madera de Endospermum medullosum de plantaciones en Vanuatu: retos y oportunidades para la exportación y su uso doméstico R. VIRANAMANGGA, G. PALMER y K. GLENCROSS La madera blanca (Endospermum medullosum) es una especie maderable de considerable utilidad, que previamente se aprovechaba del bosque natural y ahora se encuentra disponible procedente de plantaciones en Vanuatu. Sin embargo, la madera de E. medullosum de plantaciones contiene cerca de un 30% más de nudos que la de trozas procedentes de bosque natural. Esto tendrá un impacto económico en las operaciones silvícolas y de procesamiento de E. medullosum, y en los usos potenciales que se le pueden dar a esta madera. Las opciones para agregar valor a la madera con nudos son el producir madera para la construcción de grandes secciones, el despiezar en pequeñas longitudes de madera libre de nudos para ebanistería, y el tratar el duramen con conservantes químicos que permitan su uso estructural al aire libre y bajo el suelo.Plantation-grown whitewood timber in Vanuatu 487 $656 /m 3 for finger-jointed laminated boards and up to $1,116 /m 3 for laminated board. Currently domestic markets exist for defect-free (clear) wood, and demand exceeds supply.In Vanuatu, imported softwood is sold at an average price of $740/m 3 retail, and softwood imports amounted to $2.

This paper evaluates the financial performance and risk of high-value tropical forestry under the challenges faced by smallholders, using Vanuatu sandalwood as a case study. We developed a financial model to predict returns from smallholder-based sandalwood plantations. The model was used to investigate the following issues typically faced by smallholders: (i) what is the financial impact of smallholders harvesting trees at young ages because of fear of theft or cyclone damage? (ii) how does the opportunity cost of labour impact on the financial returns of sandalwood? and (iii) what are the current opportunities for smallholders to finance the establishment of sandalwood plantations and how might these be improved? Data were collected from expert interviews and relevant literature. We found that smallholder sandalwood can be a profitable investment, but tree security issues and environmental risks are leading to early harvest and an associated 64% reduction in potential returns. To improve the profitability and attractiveness of sandalwood plantations to smallholders, the following key issues must be addressed: (i) risks associated with tree theft need to be dramatically reduced; (ii) earlier returns from planting systems must be planned for smallholders with more immediate needs; and (iii) greater access to financial services is needed, including loans with competitive borrowing rates, particularly to increase the scale of planting for individual smallholders that might be constrained by labour. Theft mitigation can include fencing, patrolling, microchip tagging, all of which add significant maintenance cost. Formalised social and governance structures within and between villages, may be more cost-effective in improving tree security. Incorporating agricultural crops into systems helps produce earlier financial returns, and more rapid payback. Accessible loans can allow for upscaling of smallholder systems that are limited to household labour for plantation management, harvesting, and processing the logs.

This paper investigates the products from first thinning at age 6 in Endospermum medullosum (whitewood) plantations in Vanuatu at three stocking densities, and the financial outcomes from several silvicultural thinning regimes based on these spacings. Whitewood plantings established at stockings rates of 417, 625 and 833 stems per hectare were thinned at age 6 to approximately 45 % retained basal area. The thinning products were measured during harvest and value was estimated based on costs of production and appropriate margins relative to radiata pine products already on the market. Financial modelling for the whole rotation was undertaken for each of the spacing and thinning scenarios in the trial. The volume and size of poles and posts at first thinning was related to spacing. Low stocking density produced smaller quantities of larger poles, whereas higher stocking densities produced larger quantities of smaller posts. However, the monetary value of larger products grown under lower stocking rates was less than the value of the greater volume of product at higher stocking rates. This greater volume at higher stockings resulted in higher NPV for regimes with higher initial stockings for modelled scenarios regardless of harvest age. An exception was a scenario where no market for thinnings is available. A direct silvicultural regime (i.e. one with low planting density and no thinnings) had the highest NPV due to the higher price per cubic metre of larger diameter logs, achieved more rapidly because thinning did not remove basal area. Where thinning products are marketable, higher initial planting densities provide higher returns. Where access to markets for thinning products is difficult or where infrastructure is expected to improve in the future, planting at low stocking and without any thinning provides a high return on investment.

Valuable timber trees in accessible sites in Vanuatu have been mostly removed by logging. There are large areas where plantations would likely be successful. Yet plantation establishment among landholders in Vanuatu has been limited to date, even with considerable extension support. There has been little systematic investigation of why this has occurred. The purpose of this research was to identify constraints to whitewood (Endospermum medullosum) plantation development. A participatory social research approach was used on Espiritu Santo Island to look for trends in attitudes toward plantations. This was achieved through the use of mixed methods social research to survey 139 local landholders from 42 villages. Most landholders on Santo Island were not convinced that there are good reasons to plant whitewood, at least not in large extensions. Future efforts should be focused on the development of local capacity for plantation establishment, maintenance, processing and export marketing, at a variety of scales.