From Victoria National Parks Association (4/4/24)…
Action: Adopt the Big 21 for our big trees
I’m a sucker for a big tree. They’re epic, they’re living monuments. Visiting one I’ve been to many times, like the Hackett Tree, is like visiting an old friend.
Are you like me and can’t walk past a majestic giant without taking time to stop and admire it? What must it have lived through? What are the odds that it lived to grow so large, when so many others have not been so lucky?
And soon the bulldozers and chainsaws will hack it down and haul it away.
This tree is nearly 10 metres in circumference. It would take at least six people stretching fingertip to fingertip to circle its massive trunk. It’s survived for hundreds of years. It’s perfect habitat for Greater Gliders, Leadbeater’s Possums and Powerful Owls.
It’s not the only one on the chopping block. There’s over 30 beautiful old trees marked for destruction as part of ‘hazardous tree removals’ in the Yarra Ranges National Park. And that’s just in the small part of the 100 km destruction zone we’ve surveyed so far.
We have more examples from the Otways and Yarra Ranges, and local groups tell of countless other trees at risk across the state. One by one, they’re being wiped out.
When Forest Fire Management Victoria mark trees like this for removal, there’s no oversight or transparency. There are no decent assessment methods. No one is keeping track of the number of trees being felled or if they are vital hollow-bearing homes for wildlife.
Our new report, Protecting our living legacies, outlines 21 crucial steps to protect these living beauties. But we need your help to make sure it reaches the people who have the power to reign in Forest Fire Management Victoria. To make sure these trees stand strong for generations to come.
