MY "HEART PLACE" - MT CLUNIE NATIONAL PARK

 

A spark, a puff of smoke, and the tinder dry eucalypt forest erupts into flames. The ‘Beast’ has risen.

 Eighteen months ago a fire gains momentum, there’s no attempt to stop the Beast as it begins to consume the bush, state forest and all in its path.

 

For over two weeks the Beast burns out of control. Burning through forests, threatening the town of Woodenbong and even burning on top of Mt Lindsay as it continues on its all consuming path toward National Park and rainforest.

 

After prolonged drought and surging temperatures the rainforest is alarmingly dry. Mount Clunie, a World Heritage National Park of considerable ecological significance lay in its path, a tasty morsel for the raging Beast.

 

By this time the Beast begins to devour its way up the side of Mount Clunie. Locals and RFS (NSW Regional Fire Service) buzz into action, a National Parks Ranger urged on by our friend Don, landowner Jim and mates climb into the rainforest with leaf blowers in hope of saving the giant stinging tree and the surrounding forest giants.

 

After two weeks of near non-action the powers at be finally (but much too late), decide it’s time to act. 

 

Time to quiet the Beast. 

 

Water bombers, fire retardant planes and bulldozers are called into action.

 

Mount Clunie road is bulldozed along both sides, with sandpaper figs, cunjevoi, hoop pines, palm lilies and a myriad of young rainforest species bulldozed off the side of the road and pushed down into the rainforest gullies below.

 

Forest Corp (in their wisdom) carve a 2 lane highway across the side of Mount Clunie. RFS proceed to back burn. Then, they leave. The back burn is left to its own devices and unleashes a new Beast that burns up the rainforest ridges to the top of the mountain . . .

 

This is my ‘heart place’. The devastation is immense, not only from the Beast, but from the poorly managed actions of the RFS and Forest Corp - the road they bulldozed across the rainforest has literally torn the heart out of Mount Clunie. 

 

Forest giants attacked by the Beast can still occasionally be heard crashing to the forest floor.

 

On my first visit to Mount Clunie since the Beast unleashed its fury I was devastated, burnt and black, far worse than I expected. The flooded gum forest bordering the rainforest left with little leaf cover and the ground black and charred. My favourite section of rainforest with walking stick palms, palm lilies and bangalow palms bulldozed into oblivion, some with their charred remains trying valiantly to cling to life.

 

A flora and fauna study undertaken following the fire at Mount Clunie estimated it would take 300-400 years to regenerate, and that doesn’t take into consideration the effects of climate change.

 

There is now some initial regrowth of pioneer species in the bulldozed areas but the inundation of weeds where the canopy no longer exists is mind blowing. The biggest concern being invasive weed vines which spring up in profusion. 

 

On my last visit heavy rains had brought life to the unburnt forest where the ferns and mosses were a welcome sight almost glowing with vivid greeness. Young trees were sprouting from the forest floor. A few walking stick palms, still charred, showed signs of new growth. I gently touched one and said “come on you know you can do it.” The fabulous giant stinging tree and surrounding forest giants, thankfully, survived the Beast.

 

Water the lifeblood of the rainforest always bringing forth new life.

 

One story from the apocalyptic fires of 2019/20, only one of so many. So many creatures and biodiversity lost. Lost from our lifetime. I have to admit I was heartbroken. I wasn’t prepared to see the devastation to ‘my heart place’. 

 

If we are to protect our precious National Parks and special places, managing fire, protecting threatened species, increased staffing and sound environmental legislation must be given top priority. As we face ‘the new normal’, we must continue our fight to save the beauty and diversity of planet earth, even though it can be heart wrenching.

 

I urge you to read a book written by Jonica Newby: Beyond Climate Grief.

 

Jonica, a science reporter, tells her story of finding courage when climate change overwhelmed her.

 

“It reminds us of the love, beauty and wonder in the world, even amidst disaster. And how we all have a touch of epic hero inside.”

 

- Lynette Eggins  (Written early in 2021)

 

A FIERY FUTURE - PART 2

In "A Fiery Future - Part 1"  conservationist Dailan Pugh described the impact of the current bushfires on rainforest, with particular reference to Terania Creek. Below is a continuation of that post which was  published in the CVCC blog on December 4.

As exemplified by Koalas, numerous species have been hit hard. The fires have burnt out 23% of the high quality Koala habitat identified in north-east NSW, including a third of that on public lands. Only small refugia have survived within the burnt areas, and the Koalas are under immense stress in these.

Though the situation is more dire than indicated as much of the highest quality habitat has been degraded by intensive logging, and most of the remaining core populations have now been hit hard by the fires.

The Busby's Flat and Myall Creek fires have burnt out most of the regionally significant Koala populations of the Richmond Lowlands, the Bees Nest and Liberation Trail fires burnt out the most of the nationally significant Koala populations on the Dorrigo plateau, and the Crestwood Drive fire burnt out the major refuge left south of Port Macquarie.

While the rednecks are quick to blame national parks for fires, parks only represent 36% of the burnt area, with private lands 44%, and most of the ignition is likely from humans. Given that logging dries forests, creates fuel and increases the likelihood of canopy fires it is the bigger threat.

There is a belief that we need to burn forests more frequently to reduce fire threat, though it only takes 2-4 years for leaf litter to build up, and in extreme events prescribed burning does little to stop the spread of fire. It is telling that 151,000 ha of the area burnt this year has been burnt in either wildfires or prescribed burns in the past 3 years, with 73,000 ha burnt in the previous 12 months.

As well as affecting rainforest and old growth trees, too frequent burning adversely affects many seed producing shrubs, along with refuges and resources for a variety of fauna.

The protection and expansion of forests are essential to take up and store the carbon we emit if we are to have any chance of limiting the worst of climate heating. As we continue to slash and burn our forests we are increasing their flammability and turning a vital carbon sink into another source of emissions.

We need to undertake a rigorous review of how we manage forests, manipulate fire and protect property if we are to adapt to this brave new world we are creating. Business as usual is an unfolding catastrophe.

   -  Dailan Pugh 
       November 2019.

A FIERY FUTURE - PART 1

Hundreds of ancient Brush Box and other rainforest trees, many over a thousand years old, have been felled in the head of Terania Creek, their bases eaten out by fire. While the loggers were stopped 40 years ago, this time nothing could stop the assault by human-induced climate change.

In early November fire swept into the basin at the head of Terania Creek, consuming ferns, desiccating shrubs and cooking thousands of Bangalow Palms. Towards the valley floor the remnant moisture slowed the fire's assault, though the fire ate at the tree's bases, toppling immense trees that smashed through the rainforest canopy, spreading the devastation. Three weeks later fallen veterans were still smouldering and fire trickled through the leaf litter deep in the rainforest.

The last time fire burnt into the heart of this rainforest was around 1,100 years ago. Now we have so fundamentally altered the climate that a regime change is occurring and such events will happen with increasing frequency.

From August to November this year the Rural Fire Service (RFS) mapped 1.7 million hectares of north-east NSW, from the Hunter River to the Queensland border and west onto the tablelands, as being burnt in wildfires. So far 958,000 ha of public lands and 752,000 of private lands have been affected.

The scale is already massive, encompassing 20% of the land area, and 32% of our remnant native vegetation, and at the time of writing the fires are expected to continue for months.

The fires are coming on top of a drought, compounding each other's impacts.

The bush is so dry that fire is burning through the moist areas, the gullies and rainforests, that we could rely upon in the past to stop fire's spread. These are also the refugia that so many of our species depend upon in hard times. The RFS mapping encompasses 120,000 ha of rainforests, while not all this will have burnt, as shown by Terania Creek a lot has.

The big old trees are irreplaceable, the eucalypts may live for 300-500 years, or more, and the Brush Box at Terania Creek have been aged at over 1,340 years old. The older they get the more essential nesting/denning hollows, nectar, browse and other resources they provide for a multitude of species.

Most old trees have been lost through clearing, ringbarking and logging. Now the death of the survivors is being hastened by drought, and in huge numbers as successive fires eat away at their bases. They are also routinely cut down and bulldozed to control fires.

Over half our remnant old growth forest has been burnt this year. Hundreds of thousands of the oldest remaining trees have perished. Their loss is tragic.

Dailan Pugh
November, 2019