New information on old trees

Recent radiocarbon dating tests confirmed that a logged old growth tree on Brown Mountain East Gippsland was growing before Christopher Columbus sailed to America, and was young when Joan of Ark was riding around France. The results show there is a 68% chance that the age lies between 1435 and 1490 AD. This is a …

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East Gippsland’s trees – older than America’s discovery

Radiocarbon dating has confirmed that a recently logged old growth tree on Brown Mountain was growing before America was discovered. “This is a significant find and should now see the government value and protect all our remaining ancient forests – not just as natural relics but as ancient carbon stores”, said Jill Redwood from Environment …

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Felled old-growth tree ‘500 years old’

A Victorian environment group has radiocarbon-tested a felled old-growth eucalypt and the result suggests the giant gum was at least 500 years old. The battle to save the old-growth forests of Brown Mountain in Victoria’s far east has been waged by environmentalists since 1989. When another coupe was cut down early this year, logging opponents …

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Save Brown Mountain

The campaign video made in 2008 to bring attention to clearfell logging on Brown Mountain, East Gippsland, Victoria, Australia.  

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Brown Mountain Videos

Brown Mountain is one of the last significant stands of old-growth forest in Victoria. Two weeks ago the Victorian Government ordered the government owned logging company Vic Forests Inc to begin clear-felling the area. Community concern has been ignored with government spokesmen claiming there are no old trees being logged. The government is preventing public …

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Old Growth sucks – CO2

Contrary to the longstanding view that ageing forests are carbon neutral or even pollute more than they absorb, new evidence shows that forests that reach peak maturity do not stop soaking up and storing carbon. A team of scientists have recently searched literature and databases for forest carbon-flux estimates. In the 11/8/08 edition of Nature, …

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BROWN MT – The fight is on!

The immense trees that have sheltered and raised hundreds of generations of owls and gliding possums are now being hacked down by VicForests. The under-storey of tree ferns and waratahs, twining silkpod and musk daisy bush is being crushed into the mud by 40 tonne dozers. Victoria’s Brumby government is allowing their logging department to …

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Victoria’s forests – globally carbon rich

The rich, wet undisturbed forests of Victoria hold over 2,000 tonnes of carbon per hectare in the above-ground biomass. These are astronomical numbers that are far larger than the 90 tonnes the International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) was using as the default value. The forests of SE Australia, Tasmania and Queensland have an extremely …

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Brown Mt – 20 years on

Here’s a quick summary of the Brown Mountain saga so far:     This controversial area of National Estate forest has been in the limelight since 1989. Small but viable stands of ancient forest remain after years of butchery.    A 20 ha stand of old growth was clearfelled on Brown Mountain over summer 08-09. VicForests lied …

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Green Carbon

Wild untouched forests store three times more carbon dioxide than previously estimated and three times more than plantation forests. A world-first study of “green carbon” by scientists from the Australian National University (ANU) looked at natural forests’ role in climate change. They say our forests have been underestimated as a solution against global warming.Despite this …

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