Issue 127 Contents
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Issue 127 Winter 2016 Contents Articles Page From the President's Desk: May Report 1 Notice: Annual General Meeting 2 June Flood Report 2 Top 100 ranking 3 Bird Notes: Hazel Britton 3 Changes in the bird population as the colours of the Arboretum turn to Autumn Feather map of Australia Project 4 Can’t See the Wood for the Trees Paul Hydes 4 Recent developments: Launching new waterfowl raft 5 New Kubota Access to Limestone Hill Volunteers’ BBQ 5 Education: Arbor Week Karen Dowie 6 International Dendrology Society New Zealand Tour phil Parsons 8 phil Parsons Newsletter contributions are always welcome. These may take the form of: Letters to the Editor, Postal address: Tasmanian Arboretum Inc., P O Box 370, Devonport, Tas. 7310 E-mail address: [email protected] Website: www.tasmanianarboretum.org.au Public Officer T.A.I., P O Box 370, Devonport, Tas. 7310 0 President’s Report MAY 2016 As they say in the jokes, first the good news although there is nothing bad to report. A member has most generously donated $50,000.00 for a range of smaller projects. This will address at least a decade of deferred and delayed infrastructure upgrades resulting in some of the early efforts in terms of infrastructure brought into line with modern requirements as well as some improvements in amenity. Projects include a glass windscreen for Rotunda three, a replacement for the nearby footbridge and a cover for the Founders’ Lake outlet. Our Partnership with the Australian National Botanic Garden has progressed to us the stage of short listing plants for an initial shipment in the spring. We are looking at plants from the high altitudes of the Wet Tropics in Queensland. We already have in the ground the leatherwood Eucryphia wilkieii, the podocarp Sundacarpus amarus and the blue kauri Agathis atropurpurea from those higher altitudes. We have thinned the protective canopy again, especially over the Sundacarpus amarus Additions to the in-ground planting in the Australian Rainforest are the long leaved tuckeroo Cupaniopsis newmanii and Macleay’s laurel Anopterus macleayanus which is the Tasmanian Laurel’s only close relative. When winter comes we shall see how they fare. Coming on for planting are a few species, from the lemon aspen Acronychia acidula at 2 Macleay’s laurel metres tall to the just germinating Davidson’s plum Davidsonia jerseyana which will have several years of growing on before moving into the ground. The Walking Trails Project using Work for the Dole scheme ended on the 16th of May with a little more work to complete the Limestone Hill Lookout remaining. Many more paths need upgrading work over the next few years. A possible order of upgrading will be on Limestone Hill where it parallels Melrose Creek and then on the upper part of the nature trail and thence in the rainforest once the protective canopy of silver wattles Acacia dealbata is much reduced. Also being upgraded is the Oriental Garden path across the Red Bridge. The temporary fencing around the natural spring outlet is being replaced in the style of the steel railing. Later the path will be raised with a layer of concrete. Many of the Wollemi Wollemia nobilis are showing signs of damage on the growing point but as yet the cause is unknown. This damage followed the long dry period and is most pronounced where one would expect the driest soil. Soil moisture appears to have returned to levels that promote plant growth especially in the places where Arbor Month planting is taking place. Collection maintenance is seeing the herbaceous weeds much reduced, the perennial weeds under pressure and a return to felling mature hawthorns, partly with a new but smaller Work for the Dole program and partly by our regular volunteers. Also more plant shaping work is being undertaken by Philip Murray. On several days visitor number have been such that overflow parking has been necessary. One such occasion coincided with a wedding. The Tree Park Kiosk has also had its moments with volunteers working through customers’ orders and taking over several hundred dollars in one day. Running up to the end of the season was a spate of bookings for lunches and morning teas. The new route for Sylvan Circuit has made access to the toilets much safer. We may be using some of the area made safer by altering traffic flow for a climbing frame to provide focus for children’s activities during family visits to the Arboretum. We will be applying to the Tasmanian Community Fund to assist us with the climbing frame costs. After much gashing of teeth, several cubic metres of plant material and some wading, the cumbungii in the centre of the Natural Spring has been removed. The price of keeping the water open will be constant vigilance. There will be a second pull of regrowth soon. Membership stands at three hundred and fifty showing in a practical way the positive comments visitors make after they appreciate our Arboretum in all its parts. phil PARSONS 1 NOTICE: Annual General Meeting The Annual General Meeting will be held on Sunday the 4th of September at the Tasmanian Arboretum Education Centre at 2:00 pm followed by a walking tour or a talk depending on the weather. Flood Report (Editor’s note: While this is not a formal report rather a collection of messages President phil distributed over the flood period it gives members some idea of the situation as it occurred.) June 6th: Closed today due to flooding and forecast. Don River Bridge at Eugenana closed, water over the road. I won’t mention mud and light debris on the ground, they are about and indicate flood levels. Comparing this with the 2010 flood it appears to be of a similar volume, slightly less, but without the large debris and perhaps the velocity. Main areas of impact: 1. Carpark scoured and gravel dumped in Oriental Garden; 2. Sylvan Circuit lightly scored leading up to and on the other side of the Forestry Bridge as far as Founders Lake; 3. A little scouring above the White Gum Grove due to the volume of water exceeding the capacity of the pipe; 4. More scouring from the floodway back around to almost the intersection with the new road. This is Melrose Creek which follows the contours and the easiest course down the road. This is the worst damage to the road; .5. Fence broken down at the floodway but as we have ‘built’ it do so that there is nothing really unusual there; 6. Fence lifted and pushed over near the road to ANZealand. Rerouting the fence and moving the gate would fix this but we would have to be either rich or take our time; 7. Debris on fence below Europe. As this is backwash the fence does not come under pressure like at ANZealand and 8. The status of the banks of Melrose Creek and the Don River including the ANZealand plantings, the railway and the lower nature trail are unknown. Besides closing the park and advising those I could I put out some traffic cones in case some fool came in. Three boys came in and were politely asked to leave. Although a further 10 to 150m of rain over the next 8 days is modelled (Bureau of Meteorology) we will begin clean up tomorrow 2 Flood Report continued June 7 The Arboretum re-opens for visitors. Flowing water is contained within the banks of Melrose Creek and the carpark can be used. Some of Sylvan Circuit has lost gravel making a rough drive around. Some sections adjoining the Don River remain flooded and thus closed. Some standing water. Repair time, at least 3 days Tasmanian Arboretum featured in Tasmania's Ultimate Bucket List In an exciting recent development travel/experiences site Experience Oz (www.experienceoz.com.au/news) published a major feature focusing on Tasmania entitled ‘The Tasmania Bucket List – 100 things to do before you die’ …and at # 59 was the Tasmanian Arboretum. Phil Parsons President Bird Notes: Hazel Britton Changes in the bird population as the colours of the Arboretum turn to Autumn The Arboretum community is obviously missing Paul Hydes and his regular birdwatching notes, bird walks, monitoring and other bird activities. A few of you contacted me after receiving the last Newsletter and expressed the hope that I would make a regular contribution. Last year I was asked if I could help with the schoolchildren during Arbor Week. I recommended that Julie Serafin be approached, as she is involved in an education programme with shorebirds that I coordinate and connects very well with young people. Philip Milner is also interested in birds and has offered to carry out bird surveys with a friend Ian Ferris and also to contribute to the Newsletter. We have therefore joined forces to try and fill the gap left by Paul. (For which our readers are most grateful, Ed.) I visited the Arboretum again on 23rd April with Patricia Ellison and Geoff Smart. It was a beautiful autumn day and even at 11 am the grass was wet with dew; there was a whiff of smoke in the air, which I took to be from nearby wood fires now being lit because of the cooler temperatures, and the colours of the deciduous trees were magnificent. Many of the birds I recorded in January were absent, being breeding migrants from the mainland, already returned to a warmer climate. There were three functions booked during the day and plenty of people enjoying this lovely venue. The grassed areas were full of birds and I looked carefully to see if I could find any Yellow-rumped Thornbills and Beautiful Firetails amongst them, particularly in the New Zealand section, but was unlucky on this occasion.