VALUE AND USE
SPECIES: Eucalyptus globulus | Bluegum Eucalyptus 



WOOD PRODUCTS VALUE : 
Bluegum eucalyptus is an important source of fuelwood in many countries.
It burns freely, leaves little ash, and produces good charcoal [7,33].
Plantations can be harvested for firewood every 7 years [17].  It is
also widely used as pulpwood [42].  The wood is unsuitable for lumber
because of excessive cracking, shrinkage, and collapse on drying [43],
but is used for fenceposts, poles, and crates [33].



IMPORTANCE TO LIVESTOCK AND WILDLIFE : 
NO-ENTRY


PALATABILITY : 
Bluegum eucalyptus foliage is unpalatable to cattle, sheep, and goats
[7,37].
  


NUTRITIONAL VALUE : 
NO-ENTRY


COVER VALUE : 
NO-ENTRY


VALUE FOR REHABILITATION OF DISTURBED SITES : 
Bluegum eucalyptus is used for windbreaks, shelterbelts, and sight and
sound barriers along highways [7,24,30].  After it becomes established,
however, it may suppress or eliminate other species [7].  


OTHER USES AND VALUES : 
Bluegum eucalyptus is widely planted as an ornamental throughout
California [17].  It is also a source of nectar for honey production
[7,43].

Bluegum eucalyptus oil has numerous medical applications.  In
pharmaceutical preparations it has diaphoretic, expectorant,
insecticidal, and oestrogenic properties.  The oil has antifungal and
antibacterial activity against Bacillus subtilis, Staphylococcus aureus,
and Escherichia coli. Eucalyptus oil is generally nonirritating,
nonsensitizing, and nonphototoxic to the skin.  When taken internally,
it may be toxic to the kidneys and can be a nervous system depressant
[45].

The oil is used as a flavoring agent in cold and cough medicines.  It is
used in disinfectants, antiseptic liniments, ointments, toothpastes, and
mouthwashes.  It is used by veterinarians for treating influenza in
horses, distemper in dogs, and septicaemia in all animals.

Bluegum eucalyptus oil is used as a flavor ingredient in boiled sweets
and food products such as beverages, dairy desserts, candy, baked goods,
gelatins, puddings, and meat products [45].  The cosmetic industry uses
it as a fragrance component in soaps, detergents, air fresheners, bath
oils, and perfumes [45].


MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS : 
Bluegum eucalyptus is highly flammable and should not be planted near
homes and other structures [27].  For information regarding the
eradication of bluegum eucalyptus, see Fiedler [14], Groenendaal [17],
and Rice [38].

The leaves of bluegum eucalyptus release a number of terpenes and
phenolic acids.  These chemicals may be responsible for the paucity of
accompanying vegetation in plantations [4].  Natural fog drip from
bluegum eucalyptus inhibits the growth of annual grass seedlings in
bioassays, suggesting that such inhibition occurs naturally [10,34].  At
least one leaf extract has been shown to strongly inhibit root growth of
seedlings of other species [4].  The frass from the chrysomelid beetle,
which feeds upon bluegum eucalyptus, is allelopathic to grasses at very
low levels [34].

Bluegum eucalyptus is used short-rotation fuel biomass plantations
[26,30,35].  The coppice method of regeneration is most common because
it allows, at least for a limited number of years, repeated harvesting
at short intervals and exploitation of exceptionally high early growth
rates [35].

In Hawaii, four 64-year-old coppice stands were studied 2 to 5 years
after logging.  Seventy to eighty percent of the stumps had sprouted.
All stands also had seedlings.  The seedlings made up more than 20
percent of the total number of stems, but contributed very little to
volume as they were usually suppressed by the sprouting stems [42].
      

Related categories for Species: Eucalyptus globulus | Bluegum Eucalyptus