Category: Plants (Page 3 of 3)

The impressive mountain ash forests of Victoria are for height, size and grandeur, unequalled among the world’s hardwood trees.

Big Victorian mountain ash tree in Nelson

April 19, 2017 / John Halkett

Went to Nelson at the top end of New Zealand’s South Island recently to visit my brother Lawrie. While there we hunted out the locally well-known Barrington Gum.
It’s an Australian mountain ash (Eucalyptus regans) thought to have been planted on then open farm land about 1860. It is now embedded within a radiata pine plantation. The tree was officially measured in 2009 and at that time had a height of 72.1 metres and a diameter of 2.4 metres. The tree is listed in the New Zealand Tree Register at: www.notabletrees.org.nz.
The impressive mountain ash forests of the state of Victoria in Australia are… Read more “Big Victorian mountain ash tree in Nelson”

Magnificent planted Queensland kauri at Blackburn Cove, eastern Sydney.

Kauri and monkey puzzle tree

February 25, 2017 / John Halkett

I have always had a soft spot for Agathis trees. This magnificent planted Queensland kauri (Agathis robusta) is adjacent to the beach on eastern Sydney where I occasionally go for a quick swim before work. It has to be well over a hundred years old – perhaps two hundred.
Together Agathis and Araucaria form the Southern Hemisphere conifer family of trees Araucariaceae. Agathis – a genus of thirteen species is generally known as kauri, after the Maori name for the New Zealand species Agathis australis.
Although the genus extends as far south as the warm temperate forests of northern New Zealand, … Read more “Kauri and monkey puzzle tree”

Main tree species in boreal forests are conifers – pines, spruces, firs and larches – adapted to very cold climatic conditions.

Boreal forests – it’s cold up there

February 25, 2017 / John Halkett

Boreal forests are one of the planet’s great ecosystems. Boreal (meaning northern – they are called taiga in Russia) forest occupies the northern sub arctic zone up beyond about latitude 50 encircling the Earth at the top of the Northern Hemisphere across Russia, Scandinavia, Alaska and Canada. The boreal forest belt represents the world’s largest land-based ecosystem and act as part of the largest source and filter of freshwater on the planet.
Temperatures in these boreal forests are usually extremely low with long winter seasons. The soil freezes – only thawing for a few months in the farthest… Read more “Boreal forests – it’s cold up there”

Northern trees disrobe for winter

November 16, 2016 / John Halkett

Just had a working visit to Brussels, and was it cold after the emerging summer temperatures in Sydney! The locals know how to dress for one digit temperatures – I just don’t own those sort of clothes.
The deciduous broadleaf trees in Brussels and elsewhere across the northern hemisphere are also transiting into their winter wardrobe. This means shedding their cloak of leaves. This feature of northern hemisphere broadleaf trees is only occasionally seen in the southern hemisphere.

As deciduous trees prepare for their annual leaf loss they absorb the chlorophyll, plus other nutrients from … Read more “Northern trees disrobe for winter”

‘Dinosaur’ pine growing in Sydney

October 19, 2016 / John Halkett

The Royal Botanic Gardens in Sydney is one of my favorite spots in the city. Recently I paid another visit and checked out the Wollemi pine. This specimen was planted as one of the first seedlings from the trees found growing in the wild.

The Wollemi pine was formally identified in 1994. It is an example of the botanical diversity and wonder of Australian trees. Discovered when bushwalker David Noble clambered down a rocky cliff into a remote canyon in the Wollemi wilderness – hence the name – about 100 kilometres inland from Sydney. He encountered a cluster of strange-looking trees that he had never… Read more “‘Dinosaur’ pine growing in Sydney”

Stone pines amongst the remains of ancient Rome.

Stone pines – feature of Rome

May 24, 2016 / John Halkett

Just back from working in Rome. Many would say that the defining feature of the place is the colosseum and other ruins from Roman times. Sure they are impressive, but a more universal feature of the city is the extensive plantings of stone pine as street and decorative trees. These highly manicured trees give Rome a distinct look – more so in my opinion that the remnants of Julius Caesar and his mates.

Stone pine (Pinus pinea) also called Italian stone pine, umbrella pine and parasol pine is native to the Mediterranean region, occurring in Southern Europe, Israel, Lebanon and Syria. The tree has been… Read more “Stone pines – feature of Rome”

Harvesting radiata pine – blog coming soon.

Feedback on correspondence

May 4, 2016 / John Halkett

We have had an issue with the posting of comments directly on the blog site – corrected now. That aside, I have received some interesting emails and even a positive, pleasant comment from the Federal Government Department of Apiculture and Water Resources – so thanks.

Roger Underwood from Western Australia likes the blog and sent me an article advocating the planting of northern hemisphere deciduous trees in bushfire-prone areas of WA. His article also provides a really interesting commentary on H L Edlin’s “wonderful book” Trees, Woods and Man.
The article is really quite long Roger so we are… Read more “Feedback on correspondence”

Eucalypt group comprised of more than 700 species of trees and shrubs.

Gum tree – world’s most successful tree

March 21, 2016 / John Halkett

Considering that Australia is the home of the gum tree, compared with other countries, we have been slow in planting our own eucalypts in tree plantations. Although more than 14 million hectares of gum trees have been planted across the world.

Eucalypts account for more than 70 per cent of the trees in Australia’s natural forests and woodlands, growing in a wide range of climates from the hot tropics to near-desert inland plains to alpine snowfields. Evolving from rainforest ancestors, eucalypts have adapted to an environment where nutrient-poor soils are common and a dry environment has become… Read more “Gum tree – world’s most successful tree”