Area of Study: tall trees of tasmania

In the remote forests of Tasmania grow the largest trees in the southern hemisphere. Several species of Eucalyptus currently tower over 80 meters tall, giving them special protected ‘giant tree’ status. This status prohibits the state logging company from cutting the trees down. For this reason, gathering measurements of individual trees is crucial to their conservation status.

For this Darwin200 project, the Darwin200 team joined up with the Trees Project, an environmental education outreach nonprofit led by Dr Jennifer Sanger and Steven Pearce. With their help, we were able to assist in the laborious process of measuring the circumference, height, and volume of a 60-meter giant in the Huon Valley. This data can be used to calculate potential carbon sequestration of the forest. These numbers provide context to the tree’s ecological and economic value and role in the fight against climate change.
Jordan Winters researched the complex policy and legal framework for the protected status of Tasmanian trees. Her report will assess the current context of logging and lay out the various suggested pathways amongst island stakeholders. This project will also be a comparative study of efforts around Australia and the world to conservation of trees by size, not species.