Improving Returns from Community Teak Plantings in Solomon Islands

Background:

Solomon Islands has few roads and the transport infrastructure between islands is poorly developed and expensive. Round logs are heavy and plantations are often sited a long distance from the nearest loading point where they can be put into boats. Getting the timber to a place where it can be prepared for export has been one of the biggest problems for community growers and has prevented the sale of any plantation teak through normal export channels.

The project was established to explore the possibilities of milling and drying teak in the plantations, thereby making it more easily and cost effectively transportable to a woodyard where it would be prepared for export.

Research

The project has tested different options for milling timber within the plantations looking for the most technologically appropriate and easily transportable method of milling timber. The most portable mill we have tried was a Logosol chainsaw mill which has an aluminium frame with the chainsaw held horizontally on a sliding carriage that is pulled along the frame (Pictures 1-3). The results were good with accurate, square cuts. However, for the purposes of the project, the time taken to cut the timber was an issue

A bandsaw mill was trialled next and for the purposes of the project we had to choose a model that was lightweight enough for us to be able to transport it by boat and to carry it into the plantations. The model chosen was the Woodmizer LT10 though there are several other similar mills on the market that would have suited the purpose (pictures 4 - 6). The major difference between the chainsaw mill and the bandsaw mill was speed of cut as both mills produced accurately dimensioned timber that was suitable for our purpose.

Milled timber is dried initially in the plantation, as green wood is too heavy to carry any distance (Picture 7). Protocols for stacking and drying are being developed and the timber monitored for moisture levels, warping, staining and splitting.

Secondary drying, in preparation for export is being trialled at a local woodyard where two solar kilns have been constructed (Picture 8). The kilns are constructed by local carpenters and covered with a commercial greenhouse film sourced in Australia. One of the kilns uses natural airflows to dry the timber with vents in the roof allowing the heated air to escape and establish the flows through the timber stacks. In the other kiln we have recently (November 2018) installed five 12volt fans that are powered from batteries that are charged from a solar panel on the roof (Picture 9). When the kiln is fully charged, these will force air from the roof space through the stacks and establish a consistent airflow. Test pieces of timber will be established in both kilns and drying times compared.

A full cost/benefit analysis will be prepared to determine the level of profitability to the grower but also determine whether this is a commercially viable business opportunity for local entrepreneurs wishing to establish a contract harvesting and milling operation.

Progress to Date

• Trial and error has shown there is no single, ideal method for accessing smallholder grown timber as each plantation is different in respect to location, ease of access, quality and quantity of timber.
• While the timber quality is good, the form and size of many of the trees in the usually unthinned plantations can vary considerably. The effort required to get the mill to the timber and the timber to the driers means that not all plantations can be commercially harvestable by the small scale approach.
• There is little local appreciation of the qualities and uses of teak as it is an introduced species which people have no experience of. The project is working to give the local population an appreciation of teak as a timber that has many uses within the communities from housing and fencing to furniture and as a timber for carving.
• The project has worked with 8 communities in the Western Province to process their timber. Two of the communities were severely affected by Cyclone Raquel and the project salvaged as much teak as was possible from affected plantations.
• The project has sent the first container of 18 cubic metres of sawn teak to a buyer in New Zealand. There is sufficient timber for a further container to be sent and we are currently harvesting and processing a new site which is expected to produce around 15 cubic metres.
• The next stages of the project will be :
  • development of drying protocols based on the results from the trials
  • Development of a business model based on the experiences gained that will be designed to inform small entrepreneurial business enterprises who may be considering establishing contract harvesting and milling businesses.
  • Technical report looking at small scale harvesting and milling in relation to Small Island Developing States in the Pacific Islands
  • Potential commercialisation of the project or the establishment of a full-scale pilot project.