Experiences with sandalwood in plantations in the South Pacific and north Queensland

Abstract

Sandalwood is an important commercial industry in the south western Pacific. A number of sandalwood species occur across the south western Pacific, Santalum austrocaledonicum in New Caledonia and Vanuatu, and Santalum yasi in the Fiji Islands and Tonga. Communities do the majority of sandalwood plantings, manage and harvest existing stands. There is a growing interest among villagers, other smallscale growers and Governments to expand the scale of planting in both countries. The most common type of planting is garden plantings of sandalwood by villagers. However, large investors and Governments now starting to invest in plantations across the south western Pacific.