nasocImIon OF SOCIETIES FOR GRO1,?ING AUSTRALIAR PLANTS RAINFOREST STUDY GROUP GROUP LEADER DAVID JENKIliSOB 18 SKEPES AVE EASTWOOD 2122 n.s.v. II3WSLETTER NO. 8. ( ISSn 0729+5413') APRIL 1990 GROUP I;EADER1S REPORT I %as disappointed that many February newsletters r.,erP returned as "left address1' but have managed to track domn some of them. In addition, quite a few people ~hohave wanted to join over the last couple of years would have received their first newsletter. A great thrill. was finding so much Information in the pile of unopened letters passed to me. This has confirmed my Long held belief that a lot of knowledge is available, and should he disseminated as widely as poasible to increase general awareness of nuch vi';al elements of the hioophere as are rainforests. I make no apology %hat during my leadership of the group, much emphasis will be placed on e?zvironmental issues. So called "sustainable develogment" is a fraud. Oar lifestyles and interests should not be detrimental to the continuing survival of each species now exinting. \'le must all become very much involved in reducing the destructive effects of our current exploitive, short sighted socio/economic/political system. FoLlowinq upan that little homily, this issue is a bumper one tapping into much of the built up enthusiasm of the members. Please keep your contri-l'tlutiona corning for as I said in the last newsletter, let us become the best ancl most informed study group lrithin SGAP, 3y the vrap, this is the June neq.?sletter early, to catch up on so much utd to make up for dast inactivity, The next issue should be out in Augst. SUBSCRIPTIONS AND FINANCES Would members who have not paid a subscription in t!?e last couple of years, kindly fonvard your $3 to help us through this year. If pay ing by cheque, mnks out to "Rainforest Study Group", additional donat- ions will be most welcome as it appezrs we may be flaz broke. SPECIAL flm - THIS VILL BE THE LAST ITETSLETTSR TO T!!CSE ':iHO ARi2 U!IPI?JABCIAL. Each issue costs *ell over a dollar to send out. I put a lot of work into proauctnp these, so if you ap~reciatethe information contained 'show it by rejoining the group. A financial summary will be included in the next ne:.rsletter as it should be confined by then whether an anticipated previous balance is available or not. r.:el^a:'thile, I av personally meeting many of the estab- liahment expenses and expect reimbwsement when vre cpt on our feet. AEYf !mMBERS A warm welcome to the following, who have joined the group over the past 2 years. Jim 8 lsrian Bailey - Me Cove Trevor Jupp - Kntnra South Delltrees ITwsery - DuraL Garrg Lailinton - hdaberg Jo Benyan - Milton Tony Idorris - Dulwich !iill Rex Durgesa - Wble C. !dcFhersot, - Gymea 3ay Thomas Car1,sson - Sweden Sue 2uinnell - Yucar Rod Cook - $inston Ifills Vera Robb - Thornside Peter Cousens - Redfern SGAP Blue 7dountains Gre~Doran - Cooks 9111 SGAP South Australia Lisl Grassman - njdw J. Stewart - Hampton ldichael Hansford - Balwyn Trevor S:.mons - Airoort ':lest JJ. Jimmieson - hk Ersvatt David Vance - Redland Bay Ken Jones - Beacon Hill MEMBERSHIP LIST I propose to list names and addresses of current rnemSers as confirmed by recent (within 2 years) payment of a subscription. As has been past practice, those ~ho$0 not ,::ith their address to be published should advise me immediately. MISSING MFMBERS 1f you happen to know any of these people, whose newsletters have been returned, could you ask them to tell me their new address so tkat ne can maintain contact. Member Last addresg drmher_ hst address Robert A ttwoa8 t-eichhardt :Jlctor llosnar Feakhurnt Pat RUCPSS Farestville Graham iIos?torthy Chelmer 9. & 3. Durnhm East Ifills C-my 0 '3rien 3enaraby Robert Jones !vest Pymble Znid Turton Carlingf ord Marton Kareng Rossbank rlnn b!or~n Sarina llorrn JlcCarthy ?loovoomba Dave Jones Lismore Idoran of Sarina mote in 1986 to say that she has a amall. home nursery and was kyiaq to get the locals interested in rainforests. An initial planting of acre with about 100 trees still looked bare. There is a,lot of Angl~odendrontrifoliatum locally and Emji~llallational Park has the endemic t,lackap rullp 9a.K (A. aatizcphyl3um). (Ed. - I hope to describe hgella soon as it is a very interesting zrea.: * X X * %om Robert Payme of Gosfoxd rho offered ages ago to organiac an outinq ta look at hskania Park rainfores- near Tycnq. If he is still prepared to do so, who r~louldbe interested? Pleaae advise the leader and I will approach Robert. IIe and Gwen Harden recorded specles there and found mite Beech,rare in the district, and a patch of hcronychla milcoxiana. Ile looked at many of t?!e gully rainforests of the central coast when doing a degree couxse and found the firnt local Cryptocaria rigida and more hcronychia .ailcoxiana that had not been seen aime 191SI Also a gi&qf Toona and a Ficus obLfqua that he estimated to be 20 metres a~oundWe base? t * * * * Jan Sked at hmton mentioned that the rainforest walk of over 1000 plants in the 1Tort;h Pine Country ?ark at Petrie is coming along well. Cthers have been so.impressed :?ith the result: that they are est- ablishing similar plantjngs. She was also involved in the landscapinc of the 1988 5xpo site. r 'I. X * * Peter Jonas from Rockhampton planted out over 150 seedlings in 1986, on a local church property of about 8 acres bordering a creek where gallery forest survives. It includes Syzigiwn spp, ilelia azedarach, Zrythrina, !Jacarulga, ITauclea orientalis, Ficus racemosa etc . * * + * 4t Ilew member, Jo Benyon was given a lot of rainforest plants that had been used for indoor decoration. Scre 5~3Deen heavily pruncd and virtually had no main trunks. All were root bound. They were planted out ancl the heavy rains early last year did the world of good. ?+ * X +P X Leonie Morgan of the ?delbourne suburb of Montmorency is mowing a cool temperate garden and would like to learn more about growing tropical species as indoor plants. * * 9 d * From Yowie Bay south of Sydney, Dean Pryke has appreciated the 12" of rain that Cyclone nancy dumped on his garden md the fcllm up falls that aaved the remainder of his plantation. Coachizzood, Callicoma and 3upomatia are doing well, and he confirms that ELaeodendran australe is a fairly slow grower that has '3arely reached a metre from seed germinated a fern yezrs ago. mere are now tbee in our group - 119elltrees1Tof Wal hi Sydney (props.Darren and Cavid ?.Iansfield), Lacebark Rainforest nursery of Coramba near Coffs !!arbour (props. John and ;7endy Ross) and Terania RaMorest ?Iursery, The mannon near Lismare (props. iTu~hand lhn Nicholson). All have very extensive plant lista $hat contain sclne unusual and interesting snecies. Joivl Ross has recently been collecting seed in llorth Qld. The Iansfields will be shortly introducing TForth qld proteaceae specles of Athertonia, Placospermum, Opisthiolepsis, Oreocalis etc. A group of studenta i3 establishing a rainforsat mborehtm on their land. !.raybe we can publish oeesa reports of the success and expansion of this project.b sepyate r5port irm t!~eitiel~olsons. *f? hare been asked to submit items to help us wit3 progagatlng and gowfng dLfficu2t rainforest plants. Advice end su~gestionsfor suitable species in problem axsae could be aapreciated. TROPICAL RAIITFOX3 DESTRUCTION-BUSIIESS REPORT 5/2/90 A West Aust, company, Asrnua-?:clean, registered in !I~KRong (snmemlwt of a contradiction) znnomced that it has ohtained the xirfhts to fiO0,OCO ha, 6000 sn IrJn, of trb~icalraj.nforest in Irian Jaya. It is loe~te6 on the t~larabermo River. The company is e3tr;rhmely !lappg ~'tiththe deal - for a?l initial outlay of lsss Shan 28 million they have access to =o and a half billion dollars worth of tinber. Prsdidably, Indon- esian and ilustralian envlromenfal groups completely opposed to further des tructian of the fast dimin- ishing tropical rainforests. They are lvorried that; Indonesia and its colonies mill go the same way as the Amazon basin. CoincidentaLly, one of the eornpany directors is the daughter of the covernor of Lrim Jaya. !Chi$ arrmge- Dent has bean made at the same time as the controverng over the corruption, destruction, and virtual ~i-2- ing away of timber resoureee in neighbowing Iilsvr Guinea. Ba tfr countries are allov~inlng foreignere to destroy their resources and rean quick benefits at long term cost. to thab environment. n.e indigenous population and local Landomsrs generally obtain little or no benefit from loqging. A simple calculation ralues the hsmus IlcLean riqhts at 13.3 c. per ha, or as it: used to be, sixpence an acre. Past Australia ~overnmentssornetlmes diaposed of trscts of cronbmland for tl?is pittance. Iiow little do things chW%! (Hugh and llan !Ticholson sent a news packed letter pith their best wishes for a regular, successful forum to share information and to seek help from others. So rnuci~ of interest that 117e really gone into overdraft and decided to print an extra Mo pages). ?he* update of the regeneration project in Cmrie Fark at Lisnore will be Lnnluded with a description of this work later but; their cmrnenta on the use of herbicide eenerally must be give5 very careful consider- rrtian. llIi~ever,despite the success of these processes, I mould %till be vary of assuming the use of ierbicides is the nefi 'way to go I. =ere could :yell be evidence come to Light in the nqxt few years indicating environmental dc:.,gers from its use, as happened nith DD'C and thalidomide, Certainly we should err on the aide of caution.'' Iditor's ITote - I fully agree.