2 nd International Salinity Forum Salinity, water and society–global issues, local action 1 Suitability assessment for a range of woody germplasm in northern NSW Malem McLeod 1,2 , Brendan George 1,2 1 Tamworth Agricultural Institute, NSW Department of Primary Industries, Australia 2 Future Farm Industries CRC Introduction Existing tree planting trials in the 450-750 mm rainfall zones of Northern NSW have been focused on environmental objectives (dryland salinity, biodiversity, protection of riparian zone, etc) or long rotation species to extend conventional timber industries. However, planting trees for timber production in the 450-750 mm rainfall areas of Northern NSW is not considered profitable compared to agriculture (Hean and Signor 2001). Trees planted in the 1990s suggested that the tree species with the most potential in the Northwest slopes and Plains include E. camaldulensis (and its hybrid) and E.sideroxylon, while species that are likely to be suitable include Casuarina Cunninghamiana, Corymbia maculata, and E.argophloia (Andrews et al.2004). Eucalyptus .cladocalyx has also been found to have as comparable growth rates as E. camaldulensis in the low rainfall areas of NSW (George et al. 2004). However, with the increasing demands for biomass for a range of commercial purposes (other than solid timber), additional focus on short cycle tree crops is required to provide feedstock material. Atrial was established in 2005 to assess the suitability of various tree species and their products, and to manage risks of dryland salinity threats in the Northwest Slopes and Plains of NSW. This trial is part of the CRC Salinity Woody Germplasm Program. Following from the earlier work of Olsen et al. (2004) and reports from the Florasearch project (Bennell et al., and 2004; Hobbs et al., 2006), 25 tree species were tested nationwide with the focus species being: Eucalyptus camaldulensis, E. cladocalyx, E. occidentalis, E. polybractea, Acacia Saligna, and Atriplex nummularia. A range of products to be tested from each species include energy from biomass, wood particles, solid wood, pulp, wood flakes, chemical, and fodder. The scope of this paper is limited to the survival rates and growth assessment of these tree species for the first two years after planting. Materials and methods The trial is located in a recharge area near Spring Ridge, Northern NSW, which is dominated by sandy soil. The area has an annual average rainfall of 683 mm. However, almost 60% of the annual rain falls during late spring/summer coincides with high evaporative demand, and comes with storms. Therefore, most of the summer rainwater is either lost by runoff or evaporation. A total of 25 tree species/provenances were planted on 3 ha of land in September 2005 using various planting systems (short-cycle phase, short-cycle coppice, long-cycle, fodder) with yield and scanning components (Table 1). The species allocation within a planting system area was randomised and each species was planted in four replicates. Table 1 Details of the planting system The site was prepared prior to planting with slashing, deep–ripping, and a pre-emergent herbicide to control weeds. The seedlings were hand-planted into the mounds and given 50g of DAP fertilizer approximately eight weeks post planting.