Australia's largest tree dies
AAP
The Age (article), December 10, 2003
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A giant Tasmanian eucalypt believed to be Australia's largest tree had been declared dead after being burnt in a forestry operation, authorities said today.
El Grande, which stood 79m tall with a girth of 20m, fell victim to a forestry regeneration burn in the upper reaches of the Derwent Valley, north-west of Hobart, in April.
El
Grande: What is believed to be Australia's largest tree when it was alive. Two
people can be seen to the left of its base for comparison.
Picture:
Roger Lovell
While conservationists issued a death certificate in May - claiming the 350-year-old tree had been cooked in the blaze - Forestry Tasmania was waiting until spring to see if the tree would regenerate.
"Spring has now ended and a group of forest scientists has conducted an assessment of the condition of the tree," Forestry Tasmania general manager of operations Kim Creak said in a statement today.
"Unfortunately, it is deceased."
He said Derwent district staff involved in the regeneration burn had accepted full responsibility and the accidental burning would result in a change of procedures to protect other giant trees from a similar fate.
"I guess this is a learning experience," Mr Creak said.
"We are pretty disappointed we lost the tree.
"What we've learnt from this mistake is that single trees cannot be adequately protected in open harvested areas.
"Now procedures have been developed for all the taller forests, so giant trees will be protected in groups and stands with natural vegetation buffers.
Comment was being sought from the Wilderness Society.