GOOD TREES – BAD TREES/ 3

When we purchased this farm in 1992 the small cottage that was to become our home and which was later extended to provide guest accommodation had no garden but was surrounded by native Eucalyptus, wattle and T-trees.  The house had been constructed in the midst of a clump of Eucalyptus trees. We brought in a bulldozer to clear ground for our guest wing and at the same time thinned the trees on our northern side to allow in more winter sunlight and the establishment of gardens. We allowed the tall Eucalyptus trees at the front of our house (the eastern side) to remain. I insisted on the total removal of all the trees on our western side because I knew that Granite Belt storms came from the west and I saw those trees as a possible threat to our home. Sure enough the first vicious storm we had came from that direction in 1994 and threw the roof of our cold room onto the roof of our house. Plus it belted us with hail. But no, no tree came crashing onto our roof.

Next, in 2001 a small tornado approached from the west but once more our house suffered no damage although five large Eucalyptus trees in our front garden were broken and tossed across our front fence and car shed, damaging both. Fortunately our car was not at home as I had taken two WWOOF girls on an outing. Only Eberhard witnessed the devastation as it happened.  I addition to destroying five Eucalyptus trees in our front garden that storm smashed five similar trees  outside our front garden.  This tornado came like a bouncing ball, destroying those ten trees and then bouncing off to tear a roof from a shed near Glen Aplin. The damage to our garden was immense and I had to establish another garden, minus the advantage of shade trees. My friends tried to offer me consolation for the loss of my beautiful garden, saying, “See it as a challenge.”  I needed time to grieve for my loss.

Patches on a tree trunk

By 2005 it was only tree trunks like the one above that revealed where once  shady trees had sheltered our front garden. By 2010 these stumps have been totally covered by green vines or hidden by spreading conifers and no one now visiting our garden is aware of the damage it experienced. Read the rest of this entry »

GOOD TREES – BAD TREES? 2

Weeping Willow - Stanthorpe

It is winter now on the Granite Belt and most of the Weeping Willows have dropped their leaves.

This is a tree much favoured around the world for its lush green foliage. It is frequently planted in parks. But, in Australia it is  classified in some areas as a noxious weed.  Read what I have say about these trees and please add your comments.

The Willow tree originated in China and spread via the Silk Road to Egypt and through Europe to reach England.

The Weeping Willow is a beautiful tree to use for large yards and has a number of interesting aspects. You might be surprised to learn it is a medicinal tree as well.

The Weeping Willow tree is a member of a family of trees and scrubs that contains over three hundred and fifty different varieties. The varieties of willows have many widely different characteristics, but they are all remarkably alike in many ways. Most of them occur in moist soil in cooler climates and mostly in the Northern Hemisphere. Willows are remarkably fertile trees and easily cross fertilize between species. These occur naturally or as the result of deliberate cultivation. Read the rest of this entry »

GOOD TREES – BAD TREES? 1

To some people any tree is a good tree. They know that trees take carbon dioxide from the air and return fresh oxygen. For this reason they call trees the ‘lungs of the world’. They know that through evaporation trees add moisture to the air, which in turn leads to rainfall. Trees also green our view.

In years gone by the forester of Europe was a highly regarded man for it was his duty to ensure that forests were replanted and managed in such a way that there would always be a supply of timber and firewood. However, in Australia in the past twenty years the Forestry departments appear to have lost out following a propaganda campaign instigated by urban people who believe that no tree should be culled. State governments have created more forests and National Parks, but not provided more money for the management of these areas, thus allowing weeds and feral animals to flourish. State governments have created new laws pertaining to land clearing and under such acts as the Remnant Vegetation Act stopped people like Eberhard and me from management of land that we had purchased in 1992. Although we own our land and pay rates on the whole area, we must now be unpaid caretakers of this portion of our property. Many other country people were similarly affected and none of us were ever offered any compensation for this land grab.

This map shows our property, but two thirds of it is shaded. That two thirds supposedly represents remnant vegetation. We can not remove any trees from this area which means we can not use it for agricultural purposes. We put our 14 hectare property up for sale last year and held a widely advertised auction sale in October, but received no bids.

Why? Probably because this land is no longer available for agricultural purposes.

But what are these wonderful trees that must be preserved? Read the rest of this entry »

GARDEN FAVOURITES

It appears to me that there are a number of reasons why so many garden favourites have become flowering weeds of the Granite Belt. One of these reasons is that we have so many fruit eating birds. These are the birds of the rainforest of the Great Dividing Range like the Satin bower bird. These birds build their bowers for courtship and next in the rainforests to rear their young, but they overwinter in the gardens of the Granite Belt. Every year flocks of these birds arrive in my garden in March and will not depart until September or October.

Bower of the male satin bower bird

I photographed the bower with blue treasures near the main picnic area at Girraween National Park.

The adult male has striking glossy blue-black plumage, a pale bluish white bill and a violet-blue iris. Younger males and females are similar in colour to each other, and are collectively referred to as ‘green’ birds. They are olive-green above, off-white with dark scalloping below and have brown wings and tail. The bill is browner in colour. Young males may begin to acquire their adult plumage in their fifth year and are not fully ‘attired’ until they are seven.

Male Satin bower bird

When these birds arrive in my garden they quickly eat any remaining fruit on fig and persimmon trees. During the winter they feast on the red berries of the cotoneaster shrub which means I then have seedling weeds of the cotoneaster appearing elsewhere in my garden, but I haven’t yet seen the cotoneaster become a district weed on the Granite Belt. I have seen the cotoneaster spreading along the escarpment of the Great Dividing Range at Toowoomba, where no doubt the birds spread the seeds from the gardens to the forest range. The nurseries of Australia no longer sell cotoneaster plants. These birds and other fruit eating birds also eat any other form of berry fruit. Read the rest of this entry »