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Lusitanica cypress is closely related to macrocarpa and has a very similar timber. Lusitanica is a common plantation forest species in Northland and provided it is well sited, is a reliable species producing good volumes of timber in rotations of 25-40 years. Like all the cypress species, growth is slower than radiata pine but because shade tolerance is greater stocking can be higher. This means productivity can be high provided the market accepts smaller diameter logs. New regimes are being considered for specialised small diameter log processing that involve no pruning but produce decorative timber with live ("green") knots.

Health: Lusitanica cypress is generally a healthy tree in Northland and with a low incidence of cypress canker disease. Possums and Kaka can cause damage to the tops of trees. Cattle and deer will strip the bark from this species at all ages if given access to trees.

Timber: The timber is scented, decorative, has reasonable structural properties and is naturally durable. Suitable for interior trim, furniture, sarking, framing, exterior cladding (heartwood only)

Mechanical properties (dry wood)
Species Density, dry (kg/m3) Bending strength, MoR (MPa) Stiffness, MoE (GPa) Hardness, Janka (kN)
Cupressus lusitanica 460 69.6 6.5 2.5

Siting: Lusitanica cypress needs careful siting. It requires shelter from strong winds and has low tolerance of salt-laden winds. Lusitanica requires moderate soil fertility and free draining soil.

Steep slopes: Lusitanica roots are slow to decay and if the trees are not pruned they can be held at a fairly high stocking. A species suitable for steeper slopes and provided log values were high enough could be grown as a continuous cover forest to further reduce erosion risk.

Species characteristics: A reliable, well proven species for Northland provided it is appropriately sited.

Recommended regime: Plant at 1600-2000 stems per hectare. Thin in 3-4 stages down to 400-600 stems per hectare for a 20-30 year rotation. This gives a 4:1 thinning ratio. A higher thinning ratio provides better growth rates and form in residual trees. For clearwood production prune to 6-8m in 3-4 lifts, targeting a maximum diameter over stubs of 10cm and thin down to 200-300 stems per hectare for a 35 year rotation length.

Key message: Prune for clearwood production on a longer rotation or grow as an unpruned stand on a shorter rotation.

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