An article by Melissa Clarke on Today news, 10 March, drew attention to the sudden death of the snow gums in Australia’s high country. The snow gum is not only beautiful, it is also a foundational species. At stake is not just the snow gum, but the entire alpine habitat. If it goes, Dr Matthew Brookhouse, a forestry expert from ANU, says “From an ecological perspective it is catastrophic”.
Dr Brookhouse has been brought in to research the cause and potential mitigation strategies. The cause seems to be the Longicorn beetle. The larvae start eating the topmost ranches, and work their way down, effectively ringbarking the tree. But much remains to be understood about why there is an outbreak of the beetle, and even if it is the sole cause of the dieback. Drought or increased temperatures may be stressing the trees, and providing enhanced breeding conditions for the beetle, but nothing is yet certain.
Then there is the real problem to be solved – what to do about it? The more that is known about the problem, the more likely an effective mitigation strategy can be devised and put in place to save the trees not yet affected.
But he needs us!!!! it is a huge job to even map the extent of the die back, and the range of the beetles. He needs citizen scientists to photograph and log affected trees, and sightings of the beetle. There is an excellent article on what to look for, and how to log it.
Snow gums are under attack across Kosciuszko National Park in NSW, Namadgi National Park in the ACT and the Bogong High Plains in Victoria. And time is ticking.
Let’s help SAVE OUR SNOW GUMS
