g'day, I'm new to permaculture but have been studying like mad since I discovered it a few months ago, I am about start designing my backyard (1000m2 urban block) into a permaculture garden and upon identifying the existing trees I discovered that the beautiful big tree right in the middle (camphor laurel) is actually a pest and is toxic and allelopathic according to some resources! I was going to use it as a nurse tree for a small food forest but now I am stuck! there are so many different clashing opinions if it is allelopathic or not, that it kills fish and birds? What should I do pull it out???
You need a full property plan for your place, and that will then tell you if there is room for the tree to stay or to go. No plant is either good or bad. They are just more or less useful to us and most of the time the ones we think are less useful are that way only because we haven't figured out how to use them yet.
for me shmack, the tree would go, they get spread about too easily. get in touch with your local wood working club, maybe a deal could be brokered that contribute to cutting it down and using it to make things. you could get a mobile mill in and they could cut it up for you to make some unique furniture. keep us informed len
Camphor Laurel is a pretty tree and have nice timber but they are a declared a noxious weed in many parts of Qld and NSW They can spread into the bush and outcompete native species, also they grow according to food available and if you use one as a nurse tree it will outgrow the food plants you really want to grow, the roots will get into sewerage systems and even water pipes..... we know this as it happened to the brother in law.
Hi Schmak, Maybe you can turn a problem into solution and get it milled for it's fine quality cabinet timber. It would be too shady to start a food forest under. Janelle
When we have economists talk about potential of timber to earn us a living as in firewood at a petrol station. Consider this $1 a ball https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Natural...397833?pt=AU_Pest_Control&hash=item5af0496289 LOL
Thanks for your input people, After waying up the pro and cons I think it will have to go. I still have a loquot, jaccaranda, and a celtis which will provide some protection and homes for wildlife. Does any one see a problem with using the logs for a hugelkulture bed? As I was going to try one anyway.
g'day schmack. we should recycle all on site or as much as, so yes use them as hugelkultur/hillculture, maybe like us if logs are large enough the make incidental seating around teh place we have a huge white as cut up for such a purpose create an outside sit are with a fire box or even as BBQ. len
