Winter 2019 - OZ 7 Gloucester Tree

2019 - OZ  7    Gloucester Tree

Entering the Karri Forest

 

Platform at the Top of the Gloucester Tree

We drove through an old section of Australian forest; the Karri Forest. Years ago the wood from these giant hardwood trees (Eucalyptus Diversicolor) was used as building material and/or even firewood. Today, these forest sections of Australia, these Karri Trees are protected by law. The Karri tree  grows well here, in the South Western part of Australia. The soil is loamy and ideal for those giants. Underbrush grows up to 10 meters high but is dwarfed by trees that can reach 90 meters and more.

 

Bottom of the Gloucester Tree

In order to protect these forests, Australia had a fire watch established and the biggest of the Karri trees served as lookout towers when the weather was too dry or troublesome. Men and some women would climb the trees and keep a watch over the surrounding woods, looking for any kind of smoke that might indicate a fire. To climb those tall trees, people would use spikes on their shoes and a belt around the trunk, but it was a cumbersome way to climb up those trees. 

A 6 Hour Effort to Get Up and Down This Way

It took 6 hours to climb up and then back down one tree. Someone had the idea to drive spikes into the trunk, using these spikes as a kind of ladder to climb up a tree. They even built a platform on top and this way could spend more hours watching out for smoke. A system of look-out trees was established throughout the forests, in strategic places and now the forests were truly better protected from wild fires.

Be Careful!

Carol picked the Gloucester Tree (24 feet circumference (7.3 meters)) and 53 meters high for our visit to see one of those look-out trees. This tree is the 2^ndlargest tree with those spikes in the trunk. Yes, you may climb up to the platform but mind you, you are doing it at your own risk and it is NOT an easy climb. I read that only 20% of the visitors attempt to climb those trees and most go only up a bit, then come down again. Carol did this; she climbed up a bit, but then came down. Not to be outdone, I followed her but I, too gave up after some time. It’s a climb up without railing, just rebar steps, one after another, winding around the tree. Without good shoes, I wore just sandals; this was not a good idea to go all the way to the platform. But, teenagers who were there before us were on their way down when we got to the tree. They seemed glad to be on solid ground when I watched them touchdown. I am sure it’s not an easy climb. I saw their facial expressions and that confirmed to me that I did the right thing to NOT climb all the way up.

Going Up - Slowly

And Coming Down

Eucalyptus Diversicolor - Shedding

We missed the turn off for another large ‘fire lookout tree’ but there were many, many large trees around.

The trees were huge and the bark seems to somehow peel off those trees naturally. There is lots of bark litter all around each tree. Research tells me that about 10 tons of debris falls off each hectare of trees - a hectare is 100 meters by 100 meters - (a hectare is about 2.47 acres).

That is a lot of ‘trash’ falling off those trees but this fall off is good stuff, it helps nourish the tree’s soil. Yet, it’s a messy looking ground cover, strips of bark all over the ground.    

More Peeling Bark

I am not sure how the wild fauna manage in this kind of underbrush. I stood still and listened to any kind of noise but it was very, very quiet in the Karri Forest. 

Leaving the Karri Forest

No people were around us, the teenagers had left and it was just Carol and I at the end. It was a bit of an eerie situation, alone in a forest, no sound but our own feet shoveling around the undergrowth. We were deep in the woods. 

I told myself:  So I did not climb the tree, so what! (It still bothers me that I did not go all the way to the top). It’s hard to realize and accept that I am getting older.

We could not find a hotel room that night in the town of Pemberton, a Golf tournament had used up all the rooms, we had to keep on driving to Walpole, a forlorn place, with rolled up sidewalks at night. We found a somewhat pricey hotel with a pricey restaurant next door to it. We cannot always be ‘choosy’ when we travel, we were glad to have found a room for the night. 

Dusk Before a Stormy Night

Ah, one sad thing happened that day. A nice, fluffy, blue/green bird flew right into my car grill. I checked after I stopped, nothing was left of the bird but a few feathers.