Dr Mike Menzies

Senior Scientist

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Qualifications

PhD (Tree Physiology), University of Washington, USA -1980
BSc (Forestry) (Hons), Australian National University, Australia -1969
BSc, (Botany) Auckland University, New Zealand - 1967

Research capabilities

Clonal forestry, vegetative propagation strategies and methods (including tissue culture, cuttings and grafts), bare-root and container-grown nursery practices, seedling physiology and plant quality, forest establishment practices, and field evaluation of vegetative propagules.

Career highlights

  • Project leader for the development of tissue-culture and nursery propagation systems for radiata pine. These systems are now used by the major forestry companies in New Zealand to provide approximately 30% of radiata pine planting stock for NZ forestry each year and allow more cost-effective production of high genetic quality plants.
  • Project leader for the establishment and assessment of field trials to determine the importance of physiological ageing on growth and form of vegetative propagules. This research has defined an optimum physiological age of 3-4 years to give improved form without sacrificing early growth rates.
  • More than 75 technical reports for client/stakeholders.
  • Consultant for forestry Government organisations and private companies in New Zealand, Australia, USA, Chile, China, India, and Sarawak, covering research areas of nursery production, vegetative propagation and establishment practice.

Selected papers

Menzies, M.I. and Brown, W.D. 2005: Nursery procedures for raising Douglas-fir Seedlings. NZ Institute of Forestry Handbook, Section 5.10, pp. 103-104.
Menzies, M.I., Dibley, M.J., Brown, W.D. and Faulds, T. 2005: Nursery procedures for raising planting stock of radiata pine. NZ Institute of Forestry Handbook, Section 5.9, pp. 100-103.
Hargreaves, C.L.; Grace, L.J.; van der Maas, S.A.; Menzies, M.I.; Kumar, S.; Holden, D.G.; Foggo, M.N.; Low, C.B.; Dibley, M.J. 2005: Comparative in vitro and early nursery performance of adventitious shoots from cryopreserved cotyledons and axillary shoots from epicotyls of the same zygotic embryo of control-pollinated Pinus radiata. Canadian Journal of Forest Research 35: 2629-2641.
Holden, D.G. and Menzies, M.I. 2005: Field use of radiata pine cuttings. NZ Institute of Forestry Handbook, Section 5.6, pp. 90-92.
South, D.B., Menzies, M.I. and Holden, D.G. 2005: Stock size affects outplanting survival and early growth of fascicle cuttings of Pinus radiata . New Forests 29(3): 273-288.
Menzies, M.I., Aimers-Halliday, J. 2004: Propagation options for clonal forestry with conifers. Pp. 255-274 in Walter, C. and Carson, M. (Eds.) Plantation Forest Biotechnology for the 21st Century. Research Signpost, Kerala, India.
Menzies, M.I., Faulds, T., Holden, D.G., Kumar, S. and Klomp, B.K. 2004: Maturation status and genetic improvement effects on growth, form, and wood properties of Pinus radiata cuttings up to age 12 years. NZ J. For. Sci. 34(3): 255-271.