Gum, Rose

Rose gum (Eucalyptus grandis) is a large, fast growing hardwood timber. When grown in a favourable environment, rose gum is one of the most productive plantation eucalypts. It is a very tall forest tree, reaching 45 to 55 metres in height, with a trunk of between one and two metres in diameter. The trunk displays rough, stringy grey-brown bark at the base, with a white, powdery bark extending above.

The rose gum grows on the eastern coast of Australia, tolerating sandy through to heavy clay soils. It stretches from Newcastle on the New South Wales central coast to Bundaberg in southern Queensland. Smaller stands of rose gum occur to the west of Mackay on the central Queensland coast and in pockets in the ranges from north west of Townsville to west of Bloomfield in far north Queensland. Rose gum has been grown in plantations in Queensland and New South Wales, making the sawn timber of this sought after species readily available.

In Australia, rose gum is mainly harvested for panelling, sawn building timber, flooring and joinery. It has decorative applications in high quality furniture, as it is easy to carve and turn. Boats and structural plywood can also be built from this timber. It has a range of general construction uses due to its class 2 above ground durability (15 to 40 years), although it is less durable in-ground (5-15 years). While its sapwood is not susceptible to lyctid borer, the timber is not termite resistant.

As its name suggests, rose gum has heartwood that is pink to red-brown in colour, with paler sapwood. The timber can be moderately course and is predominantly straight grained.