143 



Some years ago, on the road from Glen Wills to Granite Flat, I passed through a very dense forest 

 of young E. gigantea, about 12 to 18 inches in diameter, and about 100 feet high. The growth was much 

 too dense for the trees to attain any large size, but I was able to see, here and there, traces of a former forest, 

 m fragments, and outlines of stumps showing in the surface of the ground which indicated that the ground 

 had been occupied, apparently at some rather remote preiod, \>j a forest of immense trees. The traces 

 of these trees were faint, but still sufficient to show that there had been a forest of giant trees there at one 

 time, perhaps not so far remote either. One thing struck me as peculiar, that there were no large, or 

 moderately large trees of a later generation (only the large saplings I have mentioned, probably the largest 

 of them not more than 2 feet in diameter). Had the former forest been destroyed by a bush fire so fierce 

 that even the surface of the ground was burned to such an extent as to prevent all growth of vegetation 

 for a number of years ? E. gigantea is, of all the ' Stringybarks,' the most easily destroyed by fire." 

 (Harry Hopkins, Bairnsdale, Victoria.) 



" On page 245 of Part XL VIII you quote Dr. Howitt as saying, with reference to rapid growth, etc. 

 ' At Omeo, in the Government Reserve a number of E. viminalis are now (1890) 60 feet high, which in 1863 

 were only small saplings under 5 feet in height.' These trees were really E. rubida (I at first mistook them 

 for viminalis). They have increased greatly in size, though not much in height since Howitt described 

 them as above. The short bole has increased to a diameter up to 3 or 4 feet, crowned with a dense wide- 

 spreading head rising to a total height of perhaps 80 or 90 feet, but the trees are past their prime and are 

 dying — in fact some of them have died, or are falling to pieces through decay. On the main road from 

 Omeo to C'assilis, near the Livingstone Creek bridge, there are several fine trees of E. rubida. with boles 

 2i feet to 4 feet in diameter, and 15 to 25 feet long — a very noticeabLe group some ten or twelve years ago, 

 of fine grown healthy looking trees. These are now (1921) showing signs of old age and decay, and several 

 are apparently dying. As I wrote previously, I think there has in the past been much misconception as to 

 the age of Eucalvpts. I doubt if many species live for more than 100 years, and I believe that most of 

 them reach maturity at between 50 and 100 years." (The same, 3-1-22.) 



Natural Afforestation 



(See Part XL VIII, pp. 248-250.) 



" I am particularly interested in the remarks quoted from Dr. A. W. Howitt at p. 248. I entirely 

 agree with him. I am acquainted with a great part of the country to which he refers, and my observations 

 lead me to the same conclusions, especially his remarks about ' Annual bush fires ' and the rapid increase 

 and expansion of forest growth when fires were restricted. When the white man first occupied- this part 

 of the country, the land was described as ' open ' forest, and more or less well grassed. Probably in the 

 summer season fires occurred frequently in the dry grass, so that the ' bush ' would be burned annually, 

 or semi-annually, keeping the country ' clean ' as Dr. Howitt describes. These ' grass ' fires (rather than 

 ' bush ' fires) would do little or no damage to the grown timber and larger saplings, but would keep in 

 check the immoderate growth of seedlings and destroy other undergrowth and many pests and parasites. 

 When the white settler came along, he feared these fires, which destroyed the herbage and endangered 

 his flocks, and so he took every care to prevent them from starting or from spreading if once started. Thus 

 the seedlings and other undergrowth had a chance to grow and secure possession, until in time what was 

 formerly well-grassed open timber country, became a thicket of saplings or a jungle of useless undergrowth 

 or ' scrub." When ' bush ' fires did occur, as was inevitable, owing to the accumulation of dead and dying 

 material in these scrubs, and the falling debris of leaves, bark, etc., from the larger trees, they raged with 

 great fury, doing great damage to even the largest trees, and seriously injuring or killing outright the younger 

 trees and saplings. These conditions exist to-day, and, because of the infrequency of fires, rather than 

 their frequency, in the forest areas, much damage is done to the timber, and insect pests increase and flourish 

 in the intervals. For some years past I have been saying that it would be beneficial to have all the forest 

 country, as far as practicable, burned annually. This would, I believe, in time restore the ' bush ' country 

 to its former clean and open forest character, promote the growth of a more healthy forest and better class 

 of timber, keep down the many injurious insect and vegetable pests, and prevent the recurrence of periodic 

 destructive bush fire3." (The same.) 



839S9— E 



