You are here: Home» Membership» Regional Branches» Northland Branch» Articles and reports» Plantation forestry best practice for Northland» Plantation forestry species for Northland» Cypress» Cupressus 'Ovensii'

Ovensii is a clonal cypress hybrid, meaning that trees are cutting-grown and genetically identical, originating from one parent tree. Ovensii is a cross between lusitanica cypress and Nootka cypress and has inherited desirable traits from both parent species. Although only planted for 25 years or so in Northland, Ovensii cypress is gaining a good reputation among growers for resilience and reliability.

Although slightly slower growing than macrocarpa and lusitanica, Ovensii timber may hold slightly higher durability than those species. Furthermore, wood properties are consistent between trees, unlike the variability inherent in seedling-grown trees. However, because Ovensii is cutting-grown, trees can be expensive unless sourced from a nursery specialising in producing them.

Health: Good resistance to canker and healthy in Northland. Cattle and deer will strip the bark from this species at all ages if given access.

Timber: Ovensii produces a decorative, lighter-coloured wood than macrocarpa and lusitanica, with less "lustre". It has fairly good mechanical properties and durability, lending itself well to structural applications where natural durability is specified. The wood is stable and suitable for a range of joinery applications such as windows, doors and fittings and heartwood can be used for cladding.

Mechanical properties (dry wood)
Species Density, dry (kg/m3) Bending strength, MoR (MPa) Stiffness, MoE (GPa) Hardness, Janka (kN)
Cupressus 'Ovensii' 495 85.6 7.9 NA

Siting: Ovensii is fairly resilient to wind exposure but is not well adapted to coastal conditions and salt-laden winds. Like other cypresses, Ovensii requires free draining soil and moderate fertility.

Steep slopes: Suitable for exposed eroding slopes but may require the addition of phosphate where eroded soils have become skeletal. Ovensii roots are slow to decay and if the trees are not pruned they can be held at a fairly high stocking. Provided that log values were high enough Ovensii cypress could be grown as a continuous cover forest to further reduce erosion risk.

Species characteristics: Well formed, healthy and moderately fast growing. Prone to some ramicorn-type (large, upward growing) branches.

Recommended regime: For clearwood production interplant 600 stems per hectare with 800-1000 seedling macrocarpa or lusitanica. Prune all Ovensii to 6-8m in 3-4 lifts and progressively thin the seedlings. Thin Ovensii down to 300 stems per hectare for a 35-40 year rotation. For 25-30 year rotation plant 600 stems per hectare and prune any double leaders and large ramicorns.

Key message: A reliable choice for Northland but planting stock can be expensive. An increased scale of planting would lower the price.

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