A study on issues and problems of Eucalyptus wood cultivation in Golestan province

This research aimed to identify issues and problems of Eucalyptus wood cultivation in Golestan province. The descriptive research method and survey technique were used. The study population consisted of all Eucalyptus growers in Golestan province. The sample size was estimated by Morgan-Krejcie’s table. A total of 100 Eucalyptus growers were selected through stratified random sampling method in three counties of Golestan province including Gorgan, Bandargaz and Kordkuy. Data was gathered using a questionnaire. The questionnaire validity was confirmed by specialists and experts. The reliability of questionnaire was confirmed by calculating Cronbach’s Alpha coefficient (α=0.92). Research findings revealed that the most important problems in wood cultivation were: lack of enough irrigated water for wood farms, low resistance of seedlings to cold weather and frost, shading of Eucalyptus trees on crop plants, low price of wood in markets, lack of enough economic profitability of wood cultivation and lack of a proper system of pricing for wood trading. The results of mean comparison showed that there are significant differences between the answers of different respondents about issues and problems in wood cultivation based on the distance of their living place to Gorgan city (the capital of the province), cultivation type and farm size. Based on the findings, some recommendations are presented as follow: introducing the fast-growing species which are compatible to weather condition for different regions, establishing plant nurseries in different regions to produce seedlings compatible with region conditions to solve the problem of seedlings’ low resistance to cold weather and frost.