Hot spot
Plantation impacts on biodiversity
 A
large proportion of Australia’s million hectares of
industrial eucalypt plantations have been established on what was
previously agricultural land, and significant amounts of remnant
native vegetation is now embedded within plantation estates. Such
rapid landscape change across Southern Australia has generated
significant industry, community and scientific interest in how
biodiversity values are affected by forestry operations in these
plantation landscapes. Dr Peter Grimbacher has produced a CRC
report that examines the broad impacts on biodiversity of
plantations across southern Australia, incorporating information on
the full life-cycle and variety of plantation operations, the
land-use history and landscape context; he has also tested the
various perceptions held by the general public concerning
biodiversity and eucalypt plantations. You can download
the public CRC report here.
Biodiversity project update
Project leader Brad Potts provides us with a managerial overview
of the progress, achievements, collaborative projects and outputs
of the CRC biodiversity project for 2010–2011. [read more]
What's on?
CRC Annual Science Meeting
The final CRC Forestry Annual Science Meeting will be held at
The Mantra Hotel, Mooloolaba, Queensland, Monday 5th –
Thursday 8th March 2012. In addition to being a valuable
networking opportunity for staff and students alike, the ASM puts
everyone’s research efforts into perspective by providing a
broad overview of the research that has been taking place across
the CRC. On the Monday of the ASM, Merv Shepherd (SCU; subproject
4.2.6) is hoping to hold a workshop on the risk of gene flow out of
plantations into native forests. Watch your email
“inbox” and the CRC members’
website for more information.
Australasian Bat Society Conference
Bat enthusiasts should keep 10-13 April 2012 available for the
Australasian Bat Society Conference. Registration for the
conference, which is to be held at the University of Melbourne, is
now open. Papers on any topic of bat biology and conservation
are invited. For more information and registration forms,
visit the ABS conference website.
Farewell to Steve Read
 In October,
the CRC for Forestry bid farewell to Dr Steve Read who chaired the
Program Coordinating Committee for CRC Program Four 'Trees in the
landscape' and was Chief Scientist at Forestry Tasmania for the
past seven years. We would like to thank Steve for his thoughtful,
provocative and insightful contributions to all the RP4 projects.
[read
more]
Thanks and goodbye to CRC stalwart, Vin Patel
 As the
CRC for Forestry winds up, it is with much sadness that we farewell
Vin Patel who, having worked with three consecutive forestry CRCs,
has developed a huge skill set and knowledge base for field-based
insect research. [read more]
What's been on?
Ecology in changing landscapes: Ecological Society of Australia
2011
 Ecologists
from far and wide descended upon the city of Hobart in November to
discuss “Ecology in Changing Landscapes” at the Annual
Conference of the Ecological Society of Australia (ESA). The
conference was last held in Tasmania 15 years ago, so while it was
a 'home' conference for thirteen CRC delegates, the Tasmanian
landscape was an added attraction for visitors from interstate and
overseas. [read more]
International Botanical Congress (IBC) 2011
 The CRC was
well-represented at the International Botanical Congress 2011, held
in Melbourne in July. A contingent comprising Prof Brad Potts,
Assoc Prof Rene Vaillancourt, Dr Julianne O'Reilly-Wapstra, Dr
Dorothy Steane, Dr Neil Davidson, Ms Christina Borzak (all from
UTAS) and Dr Merv Shepherd (SCU) contributed in many ways to the
botanical extravaganza. [read more]
Brazilian conference on improvement and culture of
eucalypts
 Several CRCF staff
attended the IUFRO conference on “Joining silvicultural and
genetic strategies to minimize Eucalyptus environmental
stresses: from research to practice” held in Porto Seguro,
Brazil in November. [read more]
Sharing experience in developing a eucalypt resource with
New Zealand foresters
 Brad
Potts recently attended a workshop in New Zealand aimed at
exploring issues that need to be considered when a species is to be
introduced to an area outside its native range. The
organisers of the conference had a particular interest in naturally
durable eucalypts that are suited to New Zealand drylands.
[read
more]
Churchill Fellow brings Australia up to speed on eucalypt
genomics
Former CRC student Dr Rebecca Jones was awarded a Churchill
Fellowship in mid-2010 (see related article in Biobuzz
12). After much organisation and planning, Beck embarked on a
tour of the leading eucalypt and genomics labs of Europe and north
America, thus bringing herself—and, more recently, her
Australian colleagues—up to speed on the latest and greatest
in eucalypt genomics research and technologies. [read
more]
Tasmania’s Forest Practices showcased in China
In August, two Forest Practices Authority (FPA) Biodiversity
staff, Sarah Munks and Anne Chuter, showcased Tasmania’s
forest practices system at the International Association of
Landscape Ecology (IALE) World Congress in Beijing, China.
[read
more]
Invertebrates under the microscope
 Dr Karen
Richards (Forest Practices Authority, Tasmania) recently attended
the 10th Invertebrate Biodiversity and Conservation Conference,
held in Melbourne in conjunction with the Society of Australian
Systematic Biologists, from the 4th to 7th of December 2011.
Karen Richards reports. [read more]
Establishing a French connection
 UTAS and the
CRC have been hosting an international exchange visitor from the
French National Institute for Agricultural Research (INRA), Centre
de Bordeaux. Mr Guy Roussel, who works with Prof Antoine
Kremer in the forest genetics research group at INRA, is a
specialist in controlled pollination. [read more]
Insect–plant interactions
 In
August 2011, Dr Julianne O’Reilly-Wapstra attended the 14th
Symposium on Insect–Plant Interactions, held in Wageningen,
Netherlands. Although Julianne’s forte lies with
plant–mammal interactions, her expertise in community ecology
is relevant to a broad audience. [read more]
Christchurch hosts Australasian entomologists
In August 2011, entomologists from Australia, New Zealand and
other further-flung countries congregated at Lincoln University in
Christchurch, New Zealand for the 3rd combined conference of the
Australian and New Zealand Entomological Societies. Francisco
Tovar attended and presented a progress report on his fabulous new
mobile software for plantation health assessments. [read more]
Engaging society in conservation – ICCB 2011
Tracey Hollings presented a speed talk at the 25th International Congress for Conservation
Biology held in Auckland, New Zealand, 5–9 December
2011. This congress is possibly the most important
international meeting for conservation professionals and
students who are concerned with the science and practice of
conserving biological diversity. The theme of the 2011
congress was 'Engaging Society in Conservation'. Tracey’s
abstract can be viewed here.
Flooded with freshwater science
The 50th Congress of the Australian Society for Limnology was
held in Brisbane in September 2011. It was held jointly with the
New Zealand Freshwater Sciences Society and the annual
Riversymposium. Ryan Burrows (UTAS) and 250 other
delegates from nine countries attended the hugely successful
event. Ryan was the runner-up for the 'best talk by PhD
student'. You can view
Ryan’s abstract here.
Wildlife in Hawaii
 The 18th
annual conference of the Wildlife Society was held in Hawaii in
November. PhD student Tracey Hollings dragged herself away
from Tasmania and across the Pacific Ocean in order to
attend. Tracey presented her research on the effect that the
decline in the Tasmanian devil population is having on other
animals—both predator and prey species—in Tasmanian
ecosystems. [read
abstract]
Odd Spot
Source of all Eucalyptus
 The
first formal description of a eucalypt was by the French botanist
Charles-Louis L'Héritier de Brutelle and was published in
his book Sertum Anglicum, seu plantae rariores quas in hortis
juxta Londinum. A rare copy of the original book, with
its magnificent engraved plates by James Sowerby and Pierre-Joseph
Redoute, has been purchased by The Allport Library and Museum of
Fine Arts. [read more]
Serious Spot
Biosecurity risk for Tasmania
 Unfortunately myrtle rust
has arrived in the eastern states of Australia and is affecting
native forests. So far, through strict quarantine measures,
Tasmania remains free of the disease. We would like to
keep it that way! The Department of Primary Industries
Parks Water and Environment (DPIPWE) has produced a poster and a
reference card to educate people about how to recognise myrtle rust
and what to do if they find some in Tasmania. [view poster] [view reference card]
Subproject 4.2.1 Biodiversity benefits of alternatives to
clearfelling
Variable retention report
AN FWPA report on using variable retention (VR) silviculture to
balance forestry with biodiversity is now available. VR was
originally developed in the Pacific North West (PNW) of USA and
Canada as an alternative to clearfelling and other traditional
silvicultural systems, to improve biodiversity and social
outcomes. As VR has recently been implemented in wet
old-growth forests in Tasmania, and there is scope for broader
implementation in Tasmania and mainland Australia, insights from
the PNW about operational experience, research, adaptive
management, and efforts to improve relationships between the timber
industry and environmental groups are of broad relevance to forest
management in Australia. Click here to read the FWPA report.
Student update
The students of subproject 4.2.1 are on the home straight with
their thesis writing. But that's not all they are doing. [read more]
Subproject 4.2.2 Biodiversity outcomes from plantation
expansion into agricultural and native forest landscapes
Are insect attacks on Eucalyptus plantations a
worsening problem?
Over the past few decades, the plantation area of Eucalyptus
globulus and E. nitens in southern Australia has
increased considerably, leading to concerns that there could also
be an increase in plantation damage by insect herbivores. The good
news is that there is little evidence to suggest that this has
occurred. Dr Peter Grimbacher (UMelb) is the chief author of a
multi-region spatio-temporal review of southern Australian
plantation pests. You can download the pdf of the CRC
technical report here.
Is there life for a conservation biologist after their
PhD?
 Chela Powell, who completed her
PhD earlier this year, is working with Vic Forests as a
conservation biologist. Although her PhD dealt with beetle
diversity in remnant forests in a plantation matrix, Chela is
applying her knowledge of conservation principles and ecological
theory to real life forest management. [read more]
Student update
The students have nearly finished their field work and are
aiming to write papers and theses over the next 12 months.
[read
more]
Subproject 4.2.3 Biodiversity value of coarse woody
debris
Dead Wood 2011
 In May 2011, Drs Martin
Moroni and Simon Grove (Forestry Tasmania) journeyed to Quebec to
attend the International Symposium on Dynamics and Ecological
Services of Deadwood in Forest Ecosystems. Martin’s
keynote address (read abstract)
compared the dead wood carbon dymanics of forests at opposite ends
of the earth: Atlantic Canada and Tasmania. Martin Moroni wrote
this
report.
Understanding forest carbon dynamics in Tasmania’s wet
forests
 The
distribution of carbon in the world’s ecosystems plays an
important role in the Earth’s climatic system. Forest
landscapes make a substantial contribution to these carbon stocks,
but relatively little is known about carbon dynamics of Australian
forests. Ian Riley recently received a Tasmanian Graduate Research
Scholarship (TGRS) and a Forest and Wood Product Association (FWPA)
top-up scholarship and project funding to undertake PhD research on
carbon dynamics of Tasmania’s wet forests. [read more]
Conservation ecology of beetles in managed forests
Congratulations to Belinda Yaxley who submitted her thesis for
examination at the end of November. Belinda examined the
effects of forest harvesting and succession on six exemplar beetle
species. You can read Belinda’s abstract here.
Subproject 4.2.4 Tools for monitoring and assessing
biodiversity
Live! Beetle website
Beetles play key roles in forest biodiversity and as forest
pests. Recently, the Tasmanian Forest Insect Collection
(TFIC)—a satellite collection of the Tasmanian Museum and Art
Gallery—went live, thanks to Forestry Tasmania. The
TFIC web-site contains a page for each beetle species, with
individual photographs and automatically generated distribution
maps. It is a valuable resource for researchers, forest
workers and insect enthusiasts. [Visit the TFIC website].
Plantation health help mobilised
IPMG Plantation Health (IPH) software allows foresters to quickly
and accurately record pest and disease outbreaks in the field,
including: the date of the observation, the extent and severity of
any damage caused, GPS co-ordinates and photos. [read more]
Ground-truthing the “Mature Habitat Availability
Map”
Amy Koch has been developing a GIS mapping layer that can provide
information about the availability of tree hollows in a
landscape. She is in the process of 'ground-truthing' the map
and would like to hear from people who may be able to provide her
with relevant data. [read more]
Subproject 4.2.5 Management of forest species of high
conservation value, including threatened species
Hollows’ victories
Three publications on the use of hollows by small and medium-sized
mammals in Tasmanian production forest areas have been published or
are ‘in press’. The principal authors are students or
former students of the CRC. [read more]
Night owls are a big part of Mick’s life
Congratulations to Mick Todd who submitted his PhD thesis
recently. Mick spent several years researching various aspects of
Tasmanian masked owl biology, including diet, calling behaviour,
habitat and distribution. [read more]
New honours student investigates genetics of rare endemic
eucalypt
Peter Harrison recently started an honours project at the
University of Tasmania. His project will examine the genetic
variation in the rare Tasmanian endemic silver gum, Eucalyptus
cordata, extending the molecular studies of the endemic alpine
white gums undertaken by previous CRC students. [read more]
Student update
Students of subproject 4.2.5 have been as busy as ever. Updates on
various student projects can be viewed here.
Subproject 4.2.6 Management of the risk of gene flow from
eucalypt plantations
Plantation escapees form subject of trans-continental
research
Matt Larcombe, a PhD student at the University of Tasmania, has
teamed up with a Portuguese researcher to determine the extent of
wildling establishment around blue gum (Eucalyptus
globulus) plantations, and the environmental factors that
might be important in predicting their establishment. [read more]
Expect the unexpected in Corymbia hybrids
 A crossing
experiment involving Corymbia torelliana and hybrid
combinations of C. torelliana and spotted gums has
produced some surprising results. Rather than having leaf
toughness that is intermediate between the parent taxa, sometimes
there is a distinct reduction in the hybrid. [read more]
Student update
Numerous experiments, from controlled crossing experiments to
source:sink ratio assessments, are keeping our students on their
toes. [read more]
Subproject 4.2.7 Management of genetic resources
Stringy bark diversity study winds up
 Stringy bark,
Eucalyptus obliqua, is one of the most important forestry
species in Tasmania. The resowing of coupes can require the
use of off-site seed when seed is not available from the harvested
coupe. Justin Bloomfield has been studying the patterns of
molecular genetic variation in E. obliqua to determine if
there are underlying patterns of genetic diversity in native E.
obliqua gene pools across Tasmania that need to be taken into
account when transferring seed between seed zones. [read more]
Racial variation in Eucalyptus nitens reviewed
 Eucalyptus nitens
(shining gum) is the most widely planted temperate hardwood species
in Australia and the main species currently planted in
Tasmania. E. nitens can be divided into races on the
basis of geography and quantitative genetic differences. A
meta-analysis of the performance of these E. nitens races
and the closely related E. denticulata in plantations
around the world was published recently. [read more]
Student update
Archana Gauli and Sara Hadjigol have been making great strides
forward in their research. [read more]
Subproject 4.2.8 Integrated management of browsing
mammals
Study tour takes eucalypt research to Europe
Julianne O’Reilly-Wapstra visited the Netherlands and
Scotland in August where she interacted with other like-minded
community ecologists. [read more]
ARC Discovery grant will extend browsing research
Dr Julianne O’Reilly-Wapstra was recently awarded an ARC
Discovery grant in association with Assoc Prof Joseph Bailey and Dr
Jennifer Schweitzer (who recently returned from Tasmania to
University of Tennessee, USA). The project 'From genes to
ecosystems: does genetic divergence in eucalypts alter biodiversity
and ecosystem function?' will use a dominant tree species of
south-eastern Australia to examine how genetic based variation in
its traits influences community organisation, biodiversity and
ecosystem processes. Outcomes from the research will be important
for responding to an uncertain future environment and maintaining
the services that ecosystems provide. The project will allow
Julianne to continue her research into the interactions between
mammal herbivores and eucalypts beyond the current CRC.
Congratulations, Julianne!
Subproject 4.2.9 Lethal trap trees
Trap tree trial proved the concept
The final assessments of the lethal trap tree trials have shown
that the attract-and-kill concept shows promise for protecting
plantation trees for the leaf beetle season. [read more]
Subproject 4.2.10 Improving Mycosphaerella leaf disease
resistance in Eucalyptus globulus
Good news! Severe Mycosphaerella outbreak hits trial
 Well, good
news for some! A Eucalyptus globulus progeny trial at
Goulds Country in north-east Tasmania was affected by a severe
summer/autumn outbreak of the Mycosphaerella
(Teratosphaera) leaf disease in 2010/11. Data collected
from the trial will provide valuable information on the impact of
such outbreaks on growth and form, and our ability to select
genotypes more suited to Mycosphaerella-susceptible sites.
[read
more]
Project 4.4 Integrated Pest Management Group (Western
Australia and Green Triangle)
Collaboration between CRCs leads to mobile software
development
A collaboration between the CRC for Forestry and the CRC for
National Plant Biosecurity has resulted in the development of a
piece of software for mobile devices (e.g., iphones) that will
allow forest workers to quickly and accurately record pest and
disease outbreaks and send the information to a central database
where it is available for further analysis. [read more]
New members IPMG website launched
With sustainable management as its core objective, the IPMG
continues to encourage best practice integrated pest management
(IPM) strategies for the whole blue gum plantation industry.
One way to encourage good IPM practices is to facilitate the
availability of research and information regarding pests and
diseases. To this end, in addition to its public website, the IPMG
recently launched a members’ website that aims to become a
one-stop portal for foresters to access a variety of information
and services. [read more]
Related sites
Forest Practices
Authority
Applied
Environmental Decision Analysis (AEDA) newsletter
Industry Pest Management
Group
Feedback
The editor of BioBuzz is Dr Dorothy
Steane. Please contact Dot with any feedback or with your ideas
for BioBuzz.
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