2 May 2023 – The US Ambassador, Ms Caroline Kennedy, visited the Huon Valley’s Grove of Giants yesterday to learn about Tasmania’s remarkable forests.
The Ambassador was brave enough to take an opportunity to ‘climb’ 60m up a tree – however no effort was required as a team of skilled professionals safely pulled the ambassador to the top.
The Grove of Giants is one of the best remaining patches of old-growth blue gum forest left in the Huon Valley. It has 150 trees over four metres in diameter is size, which would take eight people joining hands to encircle a tree that size. The Grove of Giants is scheduled to be logged this year.
“The Grove of Giants needs to be protected. It is senseless that in this day and age that our government wants to destroy important forests such as these,” said Dr Jennifer Sanger from The Tree Projects.
Giant trees are still being discovered with the world’s biggest blue gum in the Huon Valley Grove of Giants in 2022.
Locally-made signs pointing the way to the Huon Valley’s ‘Grove of Giants’ were removed by authorities in 2022 as conservationists continue to lobby for the area’s protection.
Ambassador Kennedy’s climb was facilitated by The Tree Projects who have been hosting open days in the Grove of Giants over the last several months and have taken over 400 people climbing in these trees.
A globally significant forest worth protecting
During The Tree Projects open days, walkers go into Lathamus Keep to see Tasmania’s champion Blue Gum (Eucalyptus globulus). Along the 1.2km walk, walkers will see several giants including Monastery, Joy, Gargoyle West and East, Swifts Tower, and then arrive at Lathamus Keep. You’ll also see a remarkable forest transition from a dominant Eucalyptus obliqua forest into a dominant Eucalyptus globulus forest over just 100m.
In 2020 Forestry Watch surveyed three forestry coupes in the Huon Valley and identified five giant trees that were not previously been recorded.
The independent group that monitors forestry activities in Tasmania say that Sustainable Timbers Tasmania (STT) has not recorded these on Tasmania’s Giant Tree Register and fear they may decide to log these coupes at any time.
Forest Watch have named the trees after the world renowned climate change activists: Greta Thunberg, David Attenborough, Tim Flannery, Naomi Klein and Sunita Narain.
These giants of the forest are Eucalyptus regnans (commonly known as Mountain Ash or Swamp Gum) and are the tallest hardwood species in the world.
STT has a Giant Tree Policy, which requires all trees over 85 metres in height or 280 cubic metres in volume to be protected and provide further information about old growth forest management. See here STT’s Old Growth Policy
Dr Jennifer Sanger from The Tree Projects said that they were very honoured to be able to take the Ambassador tree climbing.
“We are so fortunate to have the US Ambassador come out and visit the Grove of Giants. We have been campaigning to protect this patch of forest from logging for a while now and its great that the ambassador wants to experience and learn about these incredible trees.”
said Dr Jennifer Sanger
Ambassador Kennedy enjoyed the experience and was impressed by the beauty of the forest and the size of the giant trees.
A single hectare of these forests can store up to 1,800 tonnes of carbon which Forestry Watch claims would be about the amount of carbon emitted by a small car driving for 10 million kilometers.
