Woody Biomass Production by Utilizing Coppice of Eucalyptus camaldulensis in an Arid Area in Western Australia

In order to reduce the cost for CO2 fixation by arid-land afforestation, possibility of utilizing coppicing of the planted trees was examined in the arid area in Western Australia. The seven-year-old planted trees and the native trees of various sizes of Eucalyptus camaldulensis were cut down and the growths of coppice growing from the stumps after cutting were observed for one and a half years. The resprouting rate for both planted and native trees reached 100% until six months after cutting. The results for the native trees indicated the bigger the tree was when it was cut, the quicker the coppice grew. The growth rate of the coppice for the planted trees was comparable to that of the coppice for the native trees. These results indicated that utilization of coppicing for increasing CO2 amount fixed by the planted trees was highly possible even in the arid areas.