Significant Trees

Eric Frei

The ole injection boys will be kept busy, hit em up with imidachlorprid (Confidor)

Pay attention to pages 45 and 46 of the attached document.

Attached Files

camperdownelms.pdf (2.04 MB, 630 views)

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Sean Freeman

Yesterday I used two tanks of fuel to visit my friend Josephine out at Hughenden. Josephine for the uninitiated is a Eucalyptus microtheca of serious significance for the history of white exploration and settlement of northern Australia. I have written about her previously
...Northern Tree Specialists
...Explorers tree Hughenden
...Significant Trees

Flinders Shire Council have completed the building of the timber deck/walkway around the tree, and I wanted to get out to see what the job looked like...I had been unable to get out whilst it was being built as my southern travelling had just begun. But finally picked a date and made the 880km round trip...and very glad I did.

Some pics....











I am very impressed with what they have built, all the excavations were outside of the dripline, the entire area under the dripline is mulched, the tree can be viewed without any compaction to the soil or roots.

The tree is lonely on the bank of the creek and talking to Stephen McCartney the CEO he is keen to get some succession planting in that area and try to encourage recruitment of young plants of the riparian ecosystem for this region...there really are some highly motivated hard working people in Flinders Shire Council, they can be rightfully proud of what a small western Queensland LGA has achieved...to my own personal knowledge this is one of the best examples of proper veteran tree mangement anywhere in Qld

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treevet

That tree, standing all by itself, would blow apart or get struck by lightning in this region.

It would be less vulnerable with some peripheral plantings also.

funarty

Sean.It's sad that it's the only one there. No wonder the world is so dry!

Sean Freeman

Yes it would look a lot better with the rest of the riparian vegetation around it no question.

It is a very interesting region where Josephine resides...the Mitchell Grasslands, may be similar to the plains in the USA (But I'm guessing on that) literally thousands of square kilometers of native grasses with very very few trees, no land clearing by white settlers..arguably fire managed by Aboriginals but I need convincing that fire is more than one element in the development of this particular vegetative climax.

Here's a map of the size and location of the grasslands note that Hughenden is actually on the northern edge of it.



This is looking to the south towards Winton and Longreach (though you can't see them) from the top of mount walker.



and looking back towards Hughenden..



so Funarty you can see the landscape is not devoid of trees, not at all....just that around the town for most working people wood was the sole source of energy and building material for a long time. Josephine would have been saved the chop (I think) because of the historic blaze and the way the locals would have felt about her.

I should add this pic...since the brown you see in the photos might seem like barren ground its not...its native grasses..

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6mitchell.bmp (126.8 KB, 184 views)

funarty

Cool Sean !

Eric Frei

They did a good job for sure, tree looks better too.

That'll add years to it's life, storms and lightening strike are it's biggest enemy besides drought, but drought ... I'd say that tree knows all about it.

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Sean Freeman

Its funny though Eric they get some terrible storms out there, lightning included, not equivalent to what some of the US guys get for sure...but far worse than I have seen on the northern coast.

Some of these older trees out west must have been through some wild weather.

Eric Frei

Yeah I'm thinking all that grounded aluminium and an isolated tree is gonna be a magnet.

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Sean Freeman

Hmmm you know lightning protection is not something I have seriously considered here in Oz but now I am wondering if it could be an affordable option for them..have to look into it, you make a good point.

treeseer

I'm told that most LPS in Oz is Early Streamer Emission --ESE--type, which has not done well in research.

Here's a place for parts to make a good system, tho shipping may be a tad high...Lightning protection products and lightning rods from Independent Protection Co.

Sean Freeman

Thanks Guy...I'll investigate more

treevet

They have been around for a long time and used to provide free video for installation.

Eric Frei

Burke and Wills tree comes back from the brink - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)

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treeseer

I think Sue is onto something. Who can say that trees do not have an endocrinological reaction when their electric field merges with a human's?

Kirlian photography shows that these "force fields" exist, beyond our comprehension.

treevet

That is silly, but nice. At least one side (hugger) is likely to benefit.

funarty

Ah treehuggers and water the miracles of life

StrictlyPalms

(Skeptical Point of view here)

"Kirlian made controversial claims that the image he was studying might be compared with the human aura. An experiment advanced as evidence of energy fields generated by living entities involves taking Kirlian contact photographs of a picked leaf at set periods, its gradual withering being said to correspond with a decline in the strength of the aura. However it may simply be that the leaf loses moisture and becomes less electrically conductive, causing a gradual weakening of the electrical field at the drier edges of the leaf."

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Strictly Palms, Inc.
Orlando, Florida USA

dguntertrees

Hey Sean,

I've got an info pack if you want a look..

Dave

Sean Freeman

I'd love to see it Dave, any chance of you dropping by the office next week? I'm back up north the week after...

Gus

Indeed! Not just the tallest trees in SA, but with a good chance, those Eucalyptus maybe also the tallest trees (known) in Africa:

"More than one century ago, in 1906, a stand of Eucalyptus saligna was planted on Woodbush Estate in the Limpopo Province by one of South Africa’s early forestry pioneers, Alexander James O’Connor. Many of the trees have reached nowadays impressive heights measured at between 70 and 80 m. In 2003 the tallest of these trees was measured by a land surveyor at 81.5m tall (+265 ft)."

(I quote van der Merwe with permission )

But it is not just about tree height. Those trees are a living memorial and an exotic touristic destination.

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EUCALYPTOLOGICS, Information resources on Eucalyptus cultivation here and there

Sean Freeman

Another update from Camperdown Council, positive things...

funarty

Cool trees! Sean (any 1) do you know what kinda tree that has leaves like mini umbrella trees.About the size of a large hand .I think they are a rainforest tree .There is one in dan gleesen park on thuringowa dr just near the kirwan health.It has multiple trunks.There is also some near the electric plant on rrr down the road from kfc.

Sean Freeman

Sometimes in Oz we loose sight of what we have in the way of awe inspiring trees a week ago I was lucky enough (along with about 15 others) to get up to the foothills of the Flinders ranges Melrose SA and walk amognst some of the most impressive red gums Eucalyptus camaldulensis var camaldulensis I have ever seen anywhere (books and TV included).....

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Sean Freeman

Matter of fact I was more impressed with SA this year than I have been before I saw and touched some truely remarkable trees....

willem

Nice pictures Sean, impressive trees. I was wondering are they still in their natural surroundings. Looks to me if there was a forest once but now these trees are the only ones left and cattle grazes on the grassfields underneath???

Sean Freeman

Good question Willem, the settlement of Melrose is the oldest in the Fliders ranges, founded in 1848 in the hopes of extracting significant copper ore from the foot hills around, however the quality of the ore and the cost proved unsatisfactory. The region developed a reasonably successful agricultural industry due mainly to the reliable rainfall they recieve, grazing is part of that, but mostly wheat and barley production.

But the trees get to the trees right???

E. camaldulensis (there are 5 variants/subspecies that I'm aware of) naturally occur in the floodplain of creeks and rivers, they can and do grow closely together, however we would not describe their natural vegetative community as a closed forest, rather woodland and more commonly open woodland, since canopy closure does not occur.

These trees at Melrose are probably over 500yrs old (based on the other E. camaldulensis I visited in SA with relatively reliable dating associated with them.) the distinct lack of understorey is a result of agricultural management and significantly the action of fire. (A very significant bush fire raged through the Mt Remarkable area Melrose, in the 1980's) You can see the effects of the last big fire in the damage to most of the big trees through the area.

There are an amazing number of massive veteran trees alongside the creeklines east of Melrose SA. For those who get the chance to visit the Flinders ranges take trip to the town and view these magnificent living monuments.

NB Get permission fromt he landowners to visit those not on public land first!

Sean Freeman

I have almost 100 shots from the lovely time spent around Melrose SA so I won't fill this thread with them....however I was asked whilst up there to choose one tree (if I had to) that I would want to "save" above all others, I could not (I'm very indecisive that way)

But here...after long early morning reflection whilst listening to Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu....are my favourite ones...

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willem

Thanks for the info Sean!! They are true veterans in their appearance. I especialy like the first picture in your last post. The one that`s burned out.
Is this landscape protected or are these trees protected??? You say they stand on private land so the trees are also privatly owned???

I'll like to show you some pictures of the Tule tree in Mexico. I visited this tree on my holiday this year. This is a tree you have to see for yourself, it's more a cathedral than a tree

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Sean Freeman

Brilliant pics Willem!
I have seen many photos from the internet of the Tule tree but mostly tourist sites etc... Lovely to have those taken by someone who has actually stood next to its grand form

The red gums of Melrose SA are mostly growing along side creeklines in farm land they are protected in the sense that SA has similar veg protection laws to elsewhere in Oz relating to native veg of sig girth, plus riparian buffers are protected through numerous bits of legislation. (Not to suggest that they couldn't be cut down by the landowner, of course they could, but most unlikely) There is not (to my knowledge) any specific legislation or local law protecting these particular trees.

I was pleasantly suprised by the level of awareness in the town of their trees and the value they represent...I also met ordinary working people elsewhere in SA who shared my love of big old native trees.....I have LOTS of pics from the trip this year