The Harman River rainforest with its large, old Huon pines remains intact. Photo: Tasmania Government
A 3000-year-old Huon pine and other ancient trees have escaped damaged from recent bushfires on Tasmania’s west coast.
Tasmania’s Parks Minister Nick Duigan says a team from the Department of Natural Resources (NRE) and Environment Tasmania conducted a low-level helicopter flight along the Harman and Wilson rivers.
“(They) were relieved to see the trees intact,” Duigan said.
The flight along the length of the rivers was to observe fire damage from the Yellowband Creek bushfire.
NRE Tasmania senior ecologist Steve Leonard said the inspection confirmed the main Huon pines along both rivers were intact.
“The only impact on Huon pine observed were a handful of scorched trees on the lower Harman River, which are outside the main Huon pine stand.
“There is also a reasonable chance that these trees will survive,” Dr Leonard says.
Across the Yellowband Plain fireground, rainforest boundaries held so the impact on the rainforest was 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 are holding 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,” he says.
“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; it is likely other trees in the stand are of similar age, the government says.
BOOSTING PROTECTION
Tasmania Parks and Wildlife Service State Fire Manager Katy Edwards confirmed that water bombing was used to bolster natural fire protection.
“PWS fire crews have used the latest technology available to tackle the current bushfires. Our strategy remains focused on early detection and rapid response,” Edwards says.
“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.”
The public can visit the following websites for updated information:
Fire updates: www.alert.tas.gov.au
Park and track closures: www.parks.tas.gov.au/alerts and www.fire.tas.gov.au
Road closures and alerts: police.tas.gov.au/community-alerts/
