Hot Spot - Environmental selection key to stringy bark
diversity
 Justin
Bloomfield was recently awarded his Honours for his research on the
genetic diversity of stringy bark (Eucalyptus
obliqua) in Tasmania. This species is widespread across
Tasmania and Victoria, and grows in many different environments,
from dry ridges to moist valleys and sodden plains. Justin's
research shows that populations in these diverse environments
across the whole of Tasmania are genetically very similar
indeed.
[read more]
What's On
Farewell to Bob Barbour
 This month we are
bidding farewell to Dr Robert Barbour (University of Tasmania) who
has been the driving force behind subproject 4.2.6 (Management of
the risk of gene flow from eucalypt plantations) since the start of
the CRC. Bob is going to join Roaring 40s Wind Farms, based
in Launceston, as an environmental officer. Bob's smiling
face and energetic enthusiasm will be sadly missed by the School of
Plant Science (UTas) and the CRC. We wish Bob and his family
all the best for the future.
Gunns has new representative on the PSC
The Biodiversity Project Steering Committee is having a change
of faces. We say farewell to Chris Dare and take this
opportunity to thank him for his active participation on the
committee and for his valuable feedback on many issues. Ian
Ravenwood will replace Chris as the Gunns Limited representative on
the PSC. Welcome Ian!
Degraded remnants in plantations … tackling the
problems
How should forestry companies manage the native vegetation
within their plantations that was degraded prior to plantation
establishment? A half-day workshop run by the CRC will
address this issue by bringing together researchers from the
Biodiversity Research Project 4.2.2, plantation industry
representatives, an experienced forest certification auditor and
representatives from community groups involved in restoration.
[read more]
Australasian Forest Genetics Conference
The second Australasian Forest Genetics
Conference and the 18th meeting of the Australasian Forestry
Research Working Group 1 (Genetics) will be held in Perth, Western
Australia, 20-22 April 2009. Brad Potts (UTAS), Chris Harwood
(CSIRO) and PhD students Des Stackpole, David Blackburn and Gordon
Bradbury (all from UTAS) will be attending. Brad will present
three posters and Des, David and Gordon will be giving talks.
To find out more about the conference, visit the conference website.
What's Been On
Brad Potts lauded by Royal Society
Professor Brad Potts (University of Tasmania) was recently
awarded the Royal Society of NSW's Clarke Medal for
distinguished work in a natural science in Australia and its
territories. This year's medal was for botany and Brad now
stands among the ranks of some very famous scientists.
[read more]
FORTHREATS in Europe
 During 2007 and 2008
Treena Burgess (Murdoch University) was involved, as an invited
international expert, in an EU coordination action called
FORTHREATS - the European network on emerging diseases and invasive
species threats to European Forest Ecosystems.
FORTHREATS aimed to help prevent economic, ecological, social and
cultural losses due to emerging diseases and invasive species in
European Forests.
[read more]
Major technological advances foreshadow 21st century genomics
revolution
 Dr Dorothy Steane
(University of Tasmania) travelled to San Diego (California) in
January to attend the seventeenth Plants and Animals Genomes
Conference. Despite the gorgeous weather, Dot was blown away
by the storm of technology and genomics research. Whereas the
first human genome took $US 3 billion and 13 years to complete, we
can now contemplate using individual human genome sequences for
routine community health care (imagine the possibilities for
trees!). Click here to read
Dot's conference report.
CRC students shine at ESA conference
 A contingent of eight CRC researchers attended
the 33rd Conference of the Ecological Society of Australia in
December. Two students in particular, Bryony Horton and
Tanya Bailey, were recognised as outstanding in their fields.
[read more]
Eucalypts f eature on Late Night
Live
On Thursday 26th of February, late at night in small dark rooms
across the planet, four eucalypt experts, including Brad Potts from
the CRC for Forestry, were interviewed on ABC Radio
National’s Late Night Live program. The program
investigated many aspects of Eucalyptus including history,
ecology, genetics, taxonomy and the relationship between humans,
eucalypts and fire.
[Click
here to download a podcast of the interview]
Developing a holistic framework to anchor the "Trees in the
Landscape" Research Program
 The third year
review of the CRCF (November 2008, Launceston, Tasmania) prompted
Dr Sadanandan Nambiar (scientific advisor for the Trees in the
Landscape Program) to place the "Trees in the Landscape" program
(including Biodiversity, Water and Communities) into a framework to
illustrate the roles that different components of the CRC's
research can play at various levels of forestry and native forest
management to provide benefits to society.
[read more]
Odd Spot
This log takes the cake
 While most "unveilings"
reveal a completed product ready for public exposure, one recent
unveiling at Warra marked an incomplete decomposition that no
longer requires close scrutiny. The unveiling of the rotting
logs marked the end of a 10 year phase in a study of saproxylic
beetles. The occasion was celebrated in style with a delicious pair of
rotting log cakes, complete with decay organisms. For the
full story, click here.
Subproject 4.2.1 Biodiversity benefits of alternatives to
clearfelling
Do firebreaks create barriers to eucalypt regrowth?
Over the summer, Robyn Scott (Forestry Tasmania) began work on a
new study to determine the short- and long-term impacts of
firebreak construction on eucalypt regeneration. Firebreak
construction can cause significant soil compaction that can result
in decreased regeneration rates - and therefore decreased
productivity - later on.
[read more]
Mechanistics affecting floristics in the Styx
 A new UTAS honours student,
Liam Hindrum, will be investigating the differences between the
species composition of understorey that regenerates after logging
operations compared to understorey that regenerates in areas that
have not been subjected to the activities of heavy machinery.
He will examine the physical properties of disturbed soils to
evaluate how these may affect the establishment of different
species.
[read more]
Stored seed plays major role in ARN coupe
regeneration
A team of scientists from Forestry Tasmania and AgroParisTech
(France) has found that in coupes with aggregated retention, the
post-harvest regeneration was derived primarily from soil-stored
seed, rather than from seed originating from the aggregates of
unlogged forest retained within the coupes.
[read more]
Devilish ending to trapping season
Helen Stephens has finished her 12-week field season in
aggregated retention coupes, during which she captured 300
individuals from nine species of mammal. She and her field
assistants found some good news in the final trap of the
season.
[read more]
High intensity fires required for vigorous regeneration in wet
eucalypt forests
A special "Old Forests New Management" issue of Forest
Ecology and Management - featuring papers from the conference
held in Hobart early last year - is in press. Mark Neyland
(PhD student and researcher at Forestry Tasmania) and coworkers are
publishing a paper that shows that vigorous regeneration of wet
Eucalyptus obliqua forest requires a very hot fire.
The challenge will be to create such conditions in areas of
aggregated retention without damaging the retained forest patches.
Click here to read
abstract.
Mother's devotion has no limits
Helen Stephens must be the luckiest PhD student in the
CRC. Who else has a mother who would give up her hard earned
post-child-rearing rest to voluntarily accompany her daughter into
forestry coupes? Mrs Stephens - you deserve a medal!
[read more]
Student update
Click here to learn
about CRC students associated with subproject 4.2.1.
Subproject 4.2.2 Biodiversity outcomes from plantation expansion
into agricultural and native forest landscapes.
New faces head up subproject 4.2.2
Subproject 4.2.2 is starting 2009 with two new faces. Dr
Peter Grimbacher (UMelb) will take over from Neil Davidson as
coordinator of the subproject and Professor Nigel Stork (UMelb)
will contribute some of his time and expertise to the subproject.
Both Peter and Nigel specialise in insect biodiversiy of tropical
rainforest, but are adjusting their gazes towards more temperate
biota.
[read more]
Using fire to manage biodiversity in remnants within bluegum
plantations in Western Australia
Rob Archibald and his team have been trialling low intensity
burning as a means to improve the condition of remnant forest
within blue gum plantations near Albany, in Western
Australia. A particular aim of the trial was to weigh up the
benefits of fire in promoting native regeneration against the
negative impact of weed invasion.
[read more]
Using GIS for mapping biodiversity and associated ecosystem
services
Himlal Baral (a PhD student at UMelb) is using geographic
information system (GIS) technology as a tool for mapping
biodiversity and associated ecosystem services in the Green
Triangle. He is currently working on a sub-catchment in the
Lower Glenelg Basin, analysing the locations of threatened flora
and fauna in relation to surrounding land uses such as plantations,
remnant vegetation, and pastures.
[read more]
Student update
Click here to learn
about CRC students associated with subproject 4.2.2.
Subproject 4.2.3 Biodiversity value of coarse woody
debris
Decommissioning ceremony held for the Warra log decay
project
Monday the 16th of February 2009 marked a historic occasion for
the Warra LTER site and for the Forestry CRC: the last in a
115-long series of monthly emergence trap samples was collected
from the experimentally felled logs comprising the Warra Log Decay
Project.
[read more]
Trial of sampling techniques for landscape-scale study of
saproxylic beetles
Later this year, Forestry Tasmania researcher, Simon Grove, and
colleagues will be launching into a series of projects that aim to
explore what effect – if any – landscape context has on
the ability of clearfell-regenerated forest to sustain native
forest biodiversity. This will help to determine where the
implemenation of different forms of silviculture will deliver most
benefit.
[read more]
Fuelwood harvesting prescription development
 Several years of research
on coarse woody debris and its biodiversity have crystallised down
to a set of provisional prescriptions, developed by Forestry
Tasmania conservation biologist Simon Grove and colleagues, that
could be applied in the event that integrated harvesting of
fuelwood from native forests proceeds in Tasmania. The
prescriptions are currently undergoing evaluation by Forestry
Tasmania (FT), but an early opportunity to test their
implementation came late last year, when Gunns Ltd. was given the
go-ahead by Forestry Tasmania to trial fuelwood harvesting in some
State forest coupes near Triabunna.
[read more]
Decompostion rate of Eucalyptus obliqua CWD now in the
public domain!
Simon Grove, Lee Stamm and Chris Barry recently received
confirmation that their work on figuring out the decomposition rate
of Eucalyptus obliqua coarse woody debris will be
published as a paper in the forthcoming special ‘Old Forests,
New Management’ edition of Forest Ecology and
Management. Watch this space.
Student update
 There is a lot of activity
among the CWD students. Belinda Browning's early results
suggest that forest age and log decay-class are both highly
influential in shaping bryophyte (ie, moss and liverwort) community
composition. Meanwhile, Belinda Yaxley has found that Mount
Mangana Stag Beetles may not need to eat during their adult life,
because when they were young they ate enough to last them a
lifetime! And the finish line is in sight for Genevieve Gates
- so she's heading to a forest research institute in South America
while her supervisors read the latest draft of her thesis.
Click here to learn
more about the activities of these three CRC students associated
with subproject 4.2.3.
Subproject 4.2.4 Tools for monitoring and assessing
biodiversity
Eucaflip branches out: Treeflip goes to
press!
Buoyed by the enthusiastic reception of EucaFlip
(a life-size guide to the Tasmanian eucalypts), Rob Wiltshire and
Greg Jordan (UTAS) have moved on to an identification kit for the
other tree species native to Tasmania.
[read more]
Subproject 4.2.5 Management of forest species of high
conservation value, including threatened species
Understanding the world’s largest Barn Owl
Forestry CRC and University of Tasmania Zoology student, Mick
Todd, is researching the ecological requirements of the rare
Tasmanian Masked Owl. The playback of pre-recorded calls of the
Tasmanian Masked Owl is being used as a survey technique for the
cryptic species.
[read more]
Shannon seeks quoll-ity habitat for endangered marsupial
Shannon Troy recently began a PhD at UTAS, studying the
landscape ecology of the threatened Tasmanian spotted tailed
quoll. She will be focussing on diet, physiology, resource
use and movement of the species in landscapes that have been
subjected to different amounts of clearfell logging.
[read more]
Microbats subject of new PhD study
Lisa Cawthen, recently crowned Biobuzz's "Miss-Adventurer of the
Year", has returned from her (mis)adventures in southeast Asia, to
the relative safety of a PhD at UTAS. She is embarking on
"the best project ever" and will investigate the value of forest
remnants to microchiropteron bats in Tasmania.
[read more]
Student update
Click here to learn
about the recent activities of the students associated with
subproject 4.2.5.
Subproject 4.2.6 Management of the risk of gene flow from
eucalypt plantations
Terminology changes with the times
Assessing the risks and consequences of pollen-mediated gene
flow from non-local introduced species (or germplasm) into wild
local populations is the subject of research subproject
4.2.6. However, as our research develops we are finding
that the terminology describing this process is also evolving.
[read
more]
Buffering National Parks from genetic incursions
Understanding the risks of pollen-mediated gene flow from
E. nitens plantations into eucalypt populations of high
conservation value - such as rare or endangered species or those
within National Parks and World Heritage Areas - is important
because such gene flow may affect the integrity of these
populations.
[read
more]
Student update
Click here to learn
about CRC students associated with subproject 4.2.6.
Subproject 4.2.7 Management of genetic resources
Breeding blue gums just got easier (or did it?)
Research outcomes from studies of blue gum
(Eucalyptus globulus) reproductive biology were published
recently. One paper examined outcrossing rates and contamination in
an E. globulus seed orchard (Rao et al. 2008)
and another reviewed recent advances in reproductive biology and
seed production (Potts
et al. 2008).
Controlled pollination studies have shown that reproductive
success (number of seeds produced per flower pollinated) was
determined primarily by the female, variation in which appeared to
be due to both physical and physiological properties of the flower
(Suitor et al.
2009). Recent results also argue that the level of
fertilisation of a flower and the level of resource competition are
major factors determining capsule abortion (Suitor et al.
2008).
Transferring genetic data to forestry management
Peter Ades (UMelb) presented the research results of several CRC
projects that have implications for the sustainable management of
ash species (E. regnans, E. obliqua and E.
delegatensis) in production forestry landscapes.
[read more]
Paul Nevill goes west
As many fortune-seekers make their way home from the West,
Paul Neville (PhD student,
UMelb) has been lured there by an irresistable job offer. Our
loss is Kings Park's gain; Paul will be working with Dr Siegy
Krauss and colleagues at the University of Western Australia and
Kings
Park Botanic Gardens on the endemic flora of southwest Western
Australia. Paul is on the verge of submitting his PhD thesis,
but moving his family of six across the continent has put him a
little behind schedule. Watch the Hot Spot in the next issue
of Biobuzz to read about Paul's fascinating findings that explain
the secrets of success of the king of the forests, Eucalyptus
regnans.
What pollinates the world's tallest flowering plants?
 Professor Rod Griffin and
co-authors recently published a paper on the pollinators of
Eucalyptus regnans, based on field work done 25 years ago.
13,859 insects that visited flowers were caught and classified to
determine the major pollinator groups. Pollen was washed from
some of these insects to determine where and how many pollen grains
they carried, enabling the researchers to identify the most
effective pollinators. So what are the major pollinators of
these giants? How many pollen grains can an insect carry?
[read
more]
Student update
With one PhD thesis submitted, one honours student finished and
two more PhD students racing towards the finish line, it's all go
in the research/education program of subproject 4.2.7! Click
here to learn
more.
Subproject 4.2.8 Integrated management of browsing
mammals
Julianne invited to speak at international conference
The talents and expertise of subproject leader Dr Julianne
O'Reilly-Wapstra (UTAS) have once again been recognised, this time
with an invitation to speak at a symposium that is being organised
by the pretigious British Ecological Society.
[read more]
Sentree + stockings = less browsing
A two-year project aimed at saving eucalypt seedlings from
mammalian browsing (using non-lethal methods) has come up with a
formula that will help tree growers who wish to reduce browsing in
their plantations.
[read more]
Early browsing damage to seedlings may yield benefits later
on
A year into her PhD, Christina Borzak has some interesting
results from her browsing experiments. She has found that one
year after heavy browsing, seedlings appear to be less prone to
attack from some pests than their taller, less browsed
counterparts. Click here to learn
more.
Student update
The students of subproject 4.2.8 have been as busy as ever. Click
here
to find out what they have been up to.
Subproject 4.2.9 Lethal trap trees
Testing the efficacy of lethal trap trees
 The lethal trap tree project has been in
full swing over the summer. CRC entomologists selected four trial
sites around the state with surrogate trap trees to test various
methods for delivering insecticide (imidacloprid) into the
tree foliage for controlling chrysomelid leaf beetles. Early
results suggest a variation in efficacy of treatments. Jane
Elek reports.
[read more]
Subproject 4.2.10 Improving Mycosphaerella leaf
disease resistance in Eucalyptus globulus
New Mycosphaerella trial established in north-eastern
Tasmania
 A new field trial to
study the susceptibility of Tasmanian blue gum (Eucalyptus
globulus) to Mycosphaerella leaf disease was
established at Gould's Country in north-eastern Tasmania in
December 2008. The new trial will allow a better estimate of
the stability of genetic differences in susceptibility to this leaf
disease.
[read more]
Project 4.4 Integrated Pest Management Group (Western
Australia and Green Triangle)
IPMG workshop demystifies statistical variables
The Integrated Pest Management Group was set up as a conduit for
technology transfer. They regularly hold workshops to educate
members about important aspects of pest management. The most
recent of these workshops examined relationships between variables
(eg, tree growth, nutrients, etc.) involved in the management of
pest species.
[read more]
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