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The Pines loosing its pines


IdratherbeclimbingM9

21-Apr-2008
6:14:01 PM

... Please consider gents?

I know the flavour of the posts has provoked, but it is possible to present the same info without getting up each others nose, and others would like to see the debate continue (including from yourselves), such that an appropriate tree species is utilised ...

:)
:)


wallwombat

21-Apr-2008
6:46:49 PM

Let them go, Rod.

It's been a pretty slow week on Chockstone. I reckon a good old fashioned 'my tree is better than your tree' dust up is just what we need to liven things up. It certainly beats talking about toxic water bottles again.

Access T CliffCare

21-Apr-2008
6:49:20 PM

Hi All,

Little more info on the pines and its pines and future plans.
There are two native species to Araps that are being used. Callitris Rhomboidea and another (I can't understand my own writing here starts with a pr, could it be Callitris pressii?(I shall confirm this) The Rhomboidea has germinated well and will be potted out soon and the other one has just started the process. There is an approximate time frame - hoping for Autumn planting but they would like about 5-8 inches growth to ensure a better rate of success. The plan is to fill out some of the gaps as the old pines die or become a safety risk and are removed. I can fill you in as time goes on and when plantings are scheduled and then you can have -

On the 16/4/08 Captain Mulch wrote:

> How about a warm and fuzzy tree planting day?

Cheers,
Tracey


Eduardo Slabofvic

21-Apr-2008
7:01:57 PM

On 21/04/2008 wallwombat wrote:
>It's been a pretty slow week on Chockstone. I reckon a good old fashioned
>'my tree is better than your tree' dust up is just what we need to liven
>things up. It certainly beats talking about toxic water bottles again.

Garddammnn retro-planters, hack-puttt, hangin's too guud fur'em.


IdratherbeclimbingM9

22-Apr-2008
2:24:28 PM

Good to hear from Access T that endemic native species are being used.

I am not much of a botanist myself, and am generally in favour of natives rather than exotics for most applications, though (at the risk of upsetting some sensibilities), I have for a while now regarded the common concept of 'native' as a little strange.

Consider the case of Europe for example; ... one would not consider a plant from 2000 km away as 'native' due to the fact that to plant it locally one would transport its genre across a number of intervening countries, though here in Australia many people on the east coast happily plant west Australian 'natives' because they are 'Australian natives'!

Although the scale is different in terms of distance I have heard it voiced that certain wattles in SE Australia are now regarded as 'feral' due the fact that they are taking over where endemic wattles used to thrive in certain pockets of SE Australia. A case in point being (I think), that in some parts of Vic. the Cootamundra Wattle is actually declared a noxious weed!

Whatever grows endemic to Arapiles in original context is what I would regard as the most appropriate species.

Post edit: (While on the subject of ferals ... )
Eduardo Slabofvic wrote;
>Garddammnn retro-planters, hack-puttt, hangin's too guud fur'em.

Yeah; ... much better to tie them down on a bed of Tribulus terrestris (aka Caltrop/3 cornered Jack) with their retro-ropes!
Heh, heh, heh.

widewetandslippery

22-Apr-2008
3:02:47 PM

When are the pines getting cut down? I'd love to be involved in a beer, chainsaw and bonfire party.

22-Apr-2008
3:03:25 PM

On 22/04/2008 IdratherbeclimbingM9 wrote:

>Although the scale is different in terms of distance I have heard it voiced
>that certain wattles in SE Australia are now regarded as 'feral' due the
>fact that they are taking over where endemic wattles used to thrive in
>certain pockets of SE Australia. A case in point being (I think), that
>in some parts of Vic. the Cootamundra Wattle is actually declared a noxious
>weed!

Also consider the planting of Black Wattle, Golden Wattle in the Youies, originally planted to provide "tannins" for the leather industry. Other non-native wattles were planted to provide habitat for the chirpies in the area. The one they should be strung up for is the Hedge Wattle, this is the one that stings, scratches and pricks you as you attempt to find another forgotten granite blob.

Stick with endemic species.


IdratherbeclimbingM9

22-Apr-2008
3:11:09 PM

On 22/04/2008 BA wrote:
>The one they should be strung up for is the Hedge Wattle, this
>is the one that stings, scratches and pricks you as you attempt to find
>another forgotten granite blob.
>
>Stick with endemic species.

... Plenty of endemic scratchies to be found out there too, whilst searching for forgotten granite blobs !!
... or in the case of some areas the sharp pointed and blackened tips of burnt out timber (feral or otherwise).

Heh, heh, heh.

prb

22-Apr-2008
3:58:05 PM

That's a big pill to swallow up there M9. Unless it's full of something heavy like iron, it would be about
18cm in diameter if it averaged about 1cm in thickness.


Capt_mulch

22-Apr-2008
6:47:18 PM

Davo, I like the chainsaw plan, I'll bring the Stihl 066. We can always slab the trunks up and make them into funky camp furniture.

Time to put in my two cents worth.

The best thing to plant would be exactly what originally grew there. No fuss, no watering except to get them established. This may also entail a nursery crop such as local wattles that provide a protected environment while the more long term plants grow. One of the best things you can do is fence off an area and fire it up, if there enough fuel on the ground. Even just chucking piles of straw on the ground and burning that can work - Acacias, Casuarinas and Allocasuarinas will come up fairly quickly. Other stuff will follow. You can always throw local Eucalyptus seed into the area and some will make it through (break off some fruiting branches and chuck them in there). The main thing is to try and recreate the original local mix of species. Also, you have to take into account the use of the area - if it's a camping spot you need to provide plenty of shade and promote the plants that are the most hardy in a high use area. We could also have an 'adopt-a-tree' programme - you adopt a tree, and that's the only one that you recycle your beer onto when camping there.

I still like the idea of a warm fuzzy tree planting day...

widewetandslippery

23-Apr-2008
8:38:17 AM

I'm into planting trees with the big fire keeping me warm and fuzzy. And I like the he who drinks most beer ends up with the biggest tree idea.

tastybigmac

23-Apr-2008
8:56:01 AM

yeah, but if you drink too much beer then your tree will be wilted

widewetandslippery

23-Apr-2008
9:17:56 AM

Not if your poping M9s pills.

tastybigmac

23-Apr-2008
11:30:55 AM

true

Duncan

23-Apr-2008
8:35:21 PM

On 22/04/2008 widewetandslippery wrote:
>When are the pines getting cut down? I'd love to be involved in a beer,
>chainsaw and bonfire party.

Too late!

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1250/1401502632_aa02e430d8.jpg

September last year. Enough firewood to keep us warm for a week.

ZERO

24-Apr-2008
4:28:34 PM

On 22/04/2008 widewetandslippery wrote:
>When are the pines getting cut down? I'd love to be involved in a beer,
>chainsaw and bonfire party.

Given the complexities of anything done by govt departments, it is very unlikely that the public would be involved in anything as dangerous as tree felling, especially if alcohol is thrown into the mix.
The best you can expect is spectating from behind a distant safety barrier, though PV would most likely undertake any felling in the depths of winter when there would be few spectators and it would be too cold for beer.

And as it has already been stated, it would make sense to have the replacement "indigenous flora" well established before removing valuable shade and wind shelter.

tastybigmac

24-Apr-2008
6:15:04 PM

it is never too cold for beer


wallwombat

24-Apr-2008
6:39:12 PM

On 24/04/2008 tastybigmac wrote:
>it is never too cold for beer

I second that!

Duncan

24-Apr-2008
7:18:35 PM

On 24/04/2008 kayakerSteve wrote:
>The best you can expect is spectating from behind a distant safety barrier,
>though PV would most likely undertake any felling in the depths of winter
>when there would be few spectators and it would be too cold for beer.
>

Um, my reply above yours has a picture of one of the trees getting cut down in September. We weren't behind a barrier, but they did ask us to move one of our tents, just in case. For the record, I was drinking coffee.


freesolo

25-Apr-2008
1:51:45 PM

i hope all the climbers and PV can make the re-planting thing possible. i dream about arapiles and wish i could afford to come back. i had some amazing days there. all you aussies are lucky.

There are 76 messages in this topic.