What species are used?
How are they planted?
Why the interest from Wheatbelt farmers?
How do I order some Oil Mallees?

What is a mallee?

A harvested Oil Mallee coppicing back ( re - shooting ) from the lignotuber.


Mallee is the common name given to a "multi-stemmed" tree.
They characteristically have many stems shooting out from an underground root mass just below the soil surface, known as the lignotuber or "mallee root" (a prized source of firewood).

The lignotuber is an underground stem and believed to be an adaptation to fire. During fire or harvest, the above ground mallee stems are lost, but the starch rich lignotuber remains intact underground. The mallee is able to sprout back from buds on the surface of the lignotuber, enabling the tree to survive. This process is known as coppicing.

 Benefits associated with planting Oil Mallees include:

  • Decreased waterlogging, increased cropping yields

  • Shelter for stock, increased lambing rates

  • Reduced erosion (wind & water)

  • Aesthetic value .

Oil Mallees have the potential to generate tree crop revenue every 2-3 years once established. That is, first harvest is at about year 5 and then re-harvest every 2-3 years thereafter. Moisture supplies mainly determine mallee biomass yield and frequency of harvest. Eastern States experience indicates mallees may be harvested regularly for 100 years or more with no negative effects. In fact, as the lignotuber gets bigger, the coppice could be more robust and frequency of harvest could increase.