The Tall Tuart Forest (Eucalyptus Gomphocephala) located between Busselton and Capel in the scenic southwest of Western Australia, is one of the rarest forest ecosystems in the world. The trees are named after the local Aboriginal people Wardandi Too-art, and the forest is a diverse ecosystem and home to more than 80 species of birds, reptiles, frogs, bats, and many animals, including several endangered species such as the Western Ringtail. and Western Brushtail Possums, Chuditch or Native Cat and the Quenda or Southern Brown Bandicoot.

Before the white settlement of the southwest, the Tuart Forest stretched 400 km north of present-day Perth to Dunsborough, near Cape Naturaliste. Now, after 175 years of white settlement, less than 30,000 hectares remain and in that, less than 10% of the original understory.

The reasons for the decline are many, but three in particular seem to dominate:

Of course. In a settlement of poor soils and only seasonal rains, the Tuart forest was both one of the most fertile and was therefore cut down for agriculture and city sites and

Login. Tuart was highly prized for its hardwood which was widely used for the construction of ships, railroad cars, bridges, mill cogwheels, floors, stair treads, etc. In 1904 there were only 40,000 Ha.

Pasture. Started as early as the 1830s, most of the Tuart forest was leased and fenced off in the early 1900s. Clovers and grasses were introduced, while native plants thought to be poisonous to livestock were removed, like the Zamias. Even after the Tuart Forest was protected in 1918 in what became State Forest No. 1, cattle grazing still took place under the tall trees. Although cattle have now been removed since the declaration of 2049Ha National Park in 1987, western gray kangaroos have taken their place by multiplying in large numbers. High on your list of menu favorites are Tuart’s saplings!

In the early 2000s there were many protests over a proposed mineral sand mine within the Tuart Forest, with the predictable “Save the Tuart Forest” stickers and sit-ins and so on. Eventually the mine went ahead, but under strict guidelines and conditions (including reforestation), one of which was for the miner to undertake a comprehensive study to list and replant the native understory, as well as replacement Tuart trees. . . Mining has already been completed and rehabilitation has started.

An observant visitor to the forest today might notice the absence of young Tuarts and the proliferation of weeds like Arum Lily, and be tempted to conclude that once the old trees finally die, the Tuart forest would cease to exist.

So both the mining company at its old mine and the Department of Conservation (DEC) have started replanting programs not only of young Tuart trees, but also of the variety of understory plants that, according to the research, were endemic to the forest. . The programs would be a waste of resources if that were all, but rehab areas have been fenced off with tall fences to keep kangaroos out until young trees and other vegetation are large enough to survive appetite. of the kangaroos.

A new section on the site of what was a former Forest Department pine plantation can be seen near Inn the Tuarts Guest Lodge, the only lodge in the Tuart Forest, at the end of Rushleigh Rd, just off Tuart Tourist Drive, approximately 7 km northeast of downtown Busselton. Another visible rehabilitation site is near the bird hideout in the Vasse-Wonnerup estuary, accessed from the Spotlight Possum Walk near the historic Wonnerup House, on Layman Rd. The old mine is visible from Tuart Drive about 12 km from Busselton, but it is not accessible to the public at this stage, although inspections may be possible by prior arrangement.

So by removing a pine plantation, cleaning and mining sand, and excluding native kangaroos, the future of the Tuart forest is a bit more assured.