PlantFiles: Red River Gum
Eucalyptus camaldulensis

E. camaldulensis grow naturally along watercourses in both the creek bed and on flood plains. As Australia where they come from is a dry continent, they have evolved to survive through droughts and floods. They do this by the strategy of sending down deep roots to permanent water tables up to ten metres underground for drought survival. Their seeding is tuned to the wet season of their locality so that the seed when dropped will be in ideal conditions. Wet seasons often flood the area for months at a time and River Red Gums can be seen thriving waist deep in water throught this time without any harm. Other species drown in these conditions.

Growing them in forestry conditions is never a complete success away from flood plains that are annually inundated. Though, because of the water that is stored underground, they will survive droughts up to a decade long.

They are reasonably salt tolerant and are useful in reclaiming salt outbreaks in cleared areas. Their deep roots help in keeping the water table down low so that salt is not brought to the surface but leached back deep underground where it came from initially.

Planted as single specimens they form a wide, medium density of crown and rarely achieve over 15 metres. Planted in close forestry spacings of 4 x 2.5 m (1000 trees per hectare) they will achieve up to 25 metres plus. Though this only after thinning out twice over 15 years to a plant density of 200 to 300 trees per hectare (100 x 100 m).

Very old trees almost always have hollow trunks and branches which are nesting places for many birds and mammals such as parrots, owls and possums.