- TIMBERBIZ.COM.AU - A La Une - 03/Mar 00:01

Ancient 3000-year-old Huon pine survives bushfire

The bushfire came within 30m of this Huon pine (centre), which is estimated to be around 3,000 years old. Source: Timberbiz, photo Micah Visoiu A 3000-year-old Huon pine and several high-conservation stands of ancient trees have been confirmed to be intact and undamaged by the bushfires impacting Tasmania’s rugged West Coast. Minister for Parks, Nick Duigan, said these bushfires have been devastating for the West Coast, but this news will provide some relief. “A team of natural values specialists from the Department of Natural Resources and Environment Tasmania conducted an aerial assessment of impacts of the Yellowband Creek bushfire, and were relieved to see the trees intact,” Mr Duigan said. The assessment consisted of a low-level helicopter flight of the length of the Harman and Wilson Rivers to observe impacted vegetation. NRE Tas Senior Ecologist Steve Leonard said the inspection confirmed the main Huon pines along both rivers remained intact. “The only impacts on Huon pine observed were a handful of scorched trees on the lower Harman River, which are outside of the main Huon pine stand. There is also a reasonable chance that these trees will survive,” Dr Leonard said. Across the Yellowband Plain fireground, rainforest boundaries have held, meaning impact to the rainforest is minimal. “We were pretty excited after flying through the landscape to come to this island of intact forest and see these magnificent old trees,” Dr Leonard said. “These Huon pine forests have immense conservation significance, so their survival through this bushfire is a great outcome.” Dr Leonard said the forests had managed to hold on in the landscape until now because they occur in areas of natural fire refuge. “However, we can’t just rely on natural fire protection, and we’ve seen as part of the current response is that actions like water bombing, retardant drops and sprinkler lines can be very effective in bolstering natural refuges and preventing fire impacts to these significant natural values.” One tree in the Harman River stand is about 3000 years old, and it is likely a number of other trees in the stand are a similar age. Tasmania Parks and Wildlife Service State Fire Manager Katy Edwards said water bombing had been used to bolster the natural fire protection of the stand. “PWS fire crews have used the latest technology available to tackle the current bushfires. Our strategy remains focused on early detection and rapid response,” Ms Edwards said. “We use state-of-the art remote cameras units coupled with satellite technology to detect dry lightning strikes and monitor for hotspots. We also conduct planned burns to reduce the risk of bushfires and help preserve ecosystems across our reserve estate. “Planned burns in the West Coast area over recent years have proven effective at containing the edges and slowing the spread of a number of the current fires. Our winch crews have also been invaluable in getting into more remote fires quickly to contain their spread.” Mr Duigan commended Parks teams on their efforts to preserve these areas of high conservation value. “I’d like to thank the fire crews incident management teams and all of our support staff right across all three agencies – Tasmania Parks and Wildlife Service, Tasmania Fire Service and Sustainable Timber Tasmania. Our thoughts remain with everyone involved, we appreciate your dedication and commitment to the ongoing response,” Mr Duigan said.