We need BIG trees

Drouin has some large old trees. The Settlement Giant, in Settlement Rd, is on Australia’s National Register of Big Trees LINK.

While Victoria and Tasmania in particular have some of the world’s largest trees, we are at risk of losing them through land clearing for agricultural purposes, urban development and infrastructure and for timber harvesting.

Mountain Grey Gum Settlement Rd Drouin

The loss of large trees can have significant ecological impacts. Large trees are best at storing carbon and stands of large trees play an appreciable role in the water cycle.

Our eucalypts take almost 100 years to develop hollows that provide habitat for native birds, mammals, and reptiles. More than 300 species of native animals rely on tree hollows for their survival, a greater proportion than in any other country on the planet.

The Settlement Giant: 12.5m girth; 35m tall; 33m spread; loaded with hollows

With advancing climate change, there is a pronounced push to plant more trees to sequester carbon. Existing large trees absorb disproportionally more carbon than small trees. Saving the large trees we already have is essential.

Trees can be thought of as water pumps. They draw large amounts of water from the soil and transpire it as water vapour into the atmosphere. Trees contribute to the amount of rainfall as much as the oceans do.

Many of our large, old trees have important cultural and historical values for our first nations people and early settlers.

Yes, we certainly need to plant new young trees to play their role in the future but we badly need to save our existing big old trees too.