Hi Peter
I am familiar with that stretch of road where you saw the dead and dying red
gums. (either E. camaldulensis or E. tereticornis). These trees have been in
decline for at least fifteen years, to my knowledge. Each time I travel that
route, at intervals of perhaps a year to 18 months, there is a very noticeable
increase in the numbers of dead and stressed trees. This is simply another
example of the environmental disaster that is apparent over much of southern and
eastern Australia, in agricultural lands. This dieback is considered to be a
consequence of many factors - the death of a thousand cuts. Conversion of
forests and woodlands to extensive grazing areas provides an enormous food
resource for certain scarab beetles whose larvae feed on grass roots. The
adults graze on gum leaves. Because there are fewer trees, the impact on those
remnant trees is severe. Add to this the loss of understorey that supports a
suite of insectivorous birds, parasitic and predatory insects, combined with
soil compaction, browsing by possums, increased soil fertility especially under
trees where stock rest, and possibly fungal attack, and you have an idea of why
there is a problem.
It is possible that establishment of extensive areas of local indigenous species
of trees, understorey shrubs and ground cover plants in a linked system may slow
or arrest this decline, but I am aware of few examples of this kind of
restoration. However, I think that is what we need to push for.
Cheers
Ian
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