I am not sure but I think they planted the Eucaliptus thinking it would be great wood for the railroad ties when they were building the railroad. But, they found that to grow it large enough the tree would be very crooked and not good for lumber. I think this is why larger boards are very rare and it is mostly seen in small trim pieces. In our area I have refinished a lot of it in nicer older homes. It is also called gum wood. I think it was plentiful here at the time because of all the planting done for the railroad.
