^{General Information}

Balsawood, scientifically known as Ochroma pyramidale, is a tree native to South and Central America and the Caribbean Islands.

A Balsawood tree can be easily mistaken for an Erima tree (Octomeles sumatrana), but its bark is greyish, and the leaves are much greener than that of an Erima tree.

Balsawood was introduced into PNG between the late 1800s and the early 1900s and was first planted in Rabaul.

Balsa grows well on sites that are highly fertile with well-drained soils and annual rainfall of 1500 – 2000mm.

The species is susceptible to wind damage and should not be planted on sites with high prevailing winds.

Unlike other forest tree species that are slow-growing and will have to be harvested after many years of waiting, Balsawood can be harvested at 4 years of age. The growth of Balsawood on high-quality sites can reach breast height diameters of 30 – 50cm in 4 years or attain diameter increments of 5 to 7cm per year. 

Balsawood is an extremely light timber and has a low density of about 150 - 160kg per cubic meter. However, the high strength-to-weight ratio of the timber makes it useful in many applications.

The wood of the species is delicate and harvested logs need to be processed within 3 days. Failure to process harvested logs within 3 days will result in the wood being infected by black stain (fungus), which could render the wood useless.

Uses

Balsawood has applications in the following industries: (a) Aerospace and Defense – airplanes and others; (b) Renewable Energy – wind turbines; (c) Marine – luxury yachts and speed boats; (d) Road and Railway; and (e) Industry and Construction.

Common uses of Balsawood include buoys, rafts, surfboards, model airplanes, musical instruments, packing/transport cases, material for laser cutting and engraving, core stock in sandwich laminations, and fishing lures. Nevertheless, Balsa has recently been used in the propeller of large wind turbines to generate renewable electricity, and this is where there is now a huge demand from China and developed countries in Europe and the Americas for Balsawood.

Wind turbines have huge propellers that are sometimes up to 15 meters in diameter and 60m in length, which is a little longer than a football field. The turbines are established on towers that are 70 – 80m tall and produce 1.5 – 2.0 megawatts of renewable power.

Much of the propeller of a wind turbine is hollow and needs to be filled with sawn Balsawood to add strength and rigidity to withstand high wind velocities on land or out at sea during hurricanes and cyclones. Some 2,000 – 3,000 cubic meters of Balsawood is needed to fill the hollow in a single propeller, so some 6,000 – 9,000 cubic meters of Balsawood is needed to fill the hollows in the 3 propellers on a single wind turbine.

^{Research and Silviculture}

Silviculture - planting, and management - of Balsawood in PNG is well established, and farming of Balsa trees in the country is not a problem. Much research has been done on Balsawood by the PNG Forest Research Institute and its predecessors and the ITTO Balsa Project in East New Britain, providing enough information for its cultivation. The only research that has been somewhat intermittent has been the genetics and tree breeding aspects of the species, but this is an issue that needs to be addressed in the long run by the PNG Forest Research Institute.

Market

Between now and 2050 China and most developed nations in Europe and the Americas will slowly transition from fossil fuel power generation to wind turbines to generate renewable electricity. Therefore, thousands of wind turbines will be established in these countries to generate renewable energy to satisfy the demands of these nations for clean energy and the need to address climate change and other environmental issues of global significance.

With the common uses of Balsawood, the demand is already high for the species. But with the demand for Balsawood to be precisely engineered and fitted into the hollows of wind turbine propellers in the next 27 years, the demand may increase severalfold for the species as time passes.

PNG produces 9 percent of the world’s Balsawood exports. This amount is mostly coming out of the East New Britain Province and a little bit from the New Ireland Province.

However, the potential for Balsa tree farming for export in Papua New Guinea is enormous given the suitable soils and climates found throughout much of the lowlands of the country.

A container of Balsawood shipped out of Rabaul will have a value of K1 - 4 million (US$ 0.29 – 1.16 million), depending on the container size and type of product being shipped overseas. The main products shipped out of Rabaul for overseas markets include Balsawood planks and sheets.

There is a craze for Balsawood right now in East New Britain Province. The incentive is the high value of Balsawood logs, where a cubic meter of Balsawood or 150kg of Balsawood is worth K200 – K600 to a farmer. Regarding kina per hectare of land, Balsawood is worth about K60,000.00 – K150,000.00 to a farmer in East New Britain. 

Regulation

Other provinces are now eager to venture into Balsawood planting and marketing. However, precautions must be taken because the Balsawood industry is quite fragile. A lot of homework has to be done before a Balsawood industry can be successfully established in a province other than the East New Britain Province.

There has to be some control in Balsawood planting and harvesting in other provinces. Just because East New Britain is benefiting from the spoils of Balsawood does not mean that we all can jump on the bandwagon and emulate what they are doing.

Some years ago vanilla became a “Green Gold” for the East Sepik Province. But where is that “Green Gold” now? It has disappeared into oblivion just because of a lack of control or regulation.

The same could happen for Balsawood, so those provinces aspiring to go into Balsawood plantations must put in place regulations to control the planting and harvesting of Balsawood before proceeding.