Hot spot - Why has biological control of snout beetles in WA
failed?
 The Eucalyptus snout beetle (Gonipterus
scutellatus) is a minor plantation pest in its native range of
south-eastern Australia, but a significant pest in Western
Australia and abroad. Recent research by Tendai Mapondera, an
honours student at Murdoch University, sheds light on why efforts
to control this pest in the West have so far been unsuccessful.
[read
more]
Industry perspective
 Biodiversity is an essential component of
plantation forestry, from the micro (soil biodiversity) to the
macro (catchment) scales.
Justine Edwards explains the importance of biodiversity research
to the forestry program of Great Southern Limited. [read more]
Biodiversity project update
 In November the CRC Forestry will be
undergoing its third year review. It is now time to take
stock of our research aims, progress and achievement.
Looking back it is really quite remarkable how far we have come in
three years.
[read
more]
What's on?
Matt Hamilton finds other fish to fry
 Dr Matt Hamilton, who did his PhD with the
CRC for Sustainable Production Forestry and has been working with
project 4.2.10 for the past six months, is soon to move on.
As a testament to the transferability of skills acquired in
forestry, Matt will be joining the fish breeding program at CSIRO
in Hobart. [read more]
CRCF Annual Science Meeting - are you ready?
Have you registered for the CRC Forestry Annual Science Meeting
in Launceston, November 5-7 2009? This annual event is a great
opportunity to view the research progress across the CRC, as well
as to network with CRC colleagues in a pleasant environment, away
from the everyday distractions of phones and email.
Overviews of the Biodiversity project will be presented by
Neil Davidson and Robert Barbour. Neil Davidson will be
organising a field trip after the conference to visit some study
sites in the Tasmanian midlands.
Wanted: Postgraduate students
Would you - or someone you know - like to do a PhD on
biodiversity issues in forestry landscapes? The CRC Forestry
is currently offering nine full and top up scholarships for
projects in biodiversity at the University of Melbourne, Murdoch
University, Southern Cross University and the University of
Tasmania. Topics are diverse, including biodiversity
management, chemical ecology, gene pool management, landscape
ecology and environmental management. Go to the CRC Forestry
Scholarship website for more information.
Australasian Wildlife Management Conference (AWMS) 2008
The 2008
AWMS Conference will be held at the Esplanade Hotel, Fremantle,
Western Australia, from 24-27 November. The theme of the conference
is ‘Human Impacts on Wildlife', encompassing such topics as
invasive and threatened species, climate change, habitat
disturbance and sustainable use of wildlife. The 2008 conference
will feature a number of high-profile invited speakers as well as a
fantastic student symposium and prizes. Download a conference brochure and poster.
Plant and Animal Genomes XVII Conference 2009
 The seventeenth Plant and Animal Genomes
Conference will be held in San Diego, California, USA, in January
2009. Dr Dorothy Steane will be attending to present exciting
new results from a set of newly-developed molecular markers (DArT
markers). Although she will be wearing her "Program Two" hat
there are many links between her research in program two and the
CRC's Biodiversity project.
Australian Ecological Society Conference, Sydney, December
2008
The 33rd Australian Ecological Society (ESA) Annual Conference
will be held later this year. This year's theme is
"Interactions in Science, Interactions in Nature" and will focus on
interactions in nature between individuals, assemblages of species,
and the abiotic environment. The CRC will be well-represented at
this conference with Simon Grove (Forestry Tasmania), Neil
Davidson, Robert Barbour, Julianne O’Reilly-Wapstra, PhD
students Tanya Bailey, Christina Borzak, Helen Stephens and Honours
student Jennifer Sanger (all from UTAS) attending.
Charles Darwin Conference, Melbourne, February 2009
Celebrating the 200th anniversary of Darwin’s birth
(February 12, 1809) and the 150th anniversary of the publication of
the Origin of Species, Evolution – the Experience will be
embedded in rich menu of public events, each in their own way
touching the Darwinian theme – theatre, film, forums, debates
and exhibitions involving theatre companies, orchestras, cinemas,
museums, art galleries, libraries, botanic gardens, zoos, herbaria,
schools, universities and the media. Evolution – the
Experience will explore the breadth and depth of Darwin’s
ongoing impact in basic biology, agriculture, medicine, psychology,
sociology, politics, history and religion.
Coming soon! Landscape design management workshop
 All landscapes are cultural and only an
integrated approach to landscape assessment will allow us to
comprehend the range of values that are present in any one area. It
is the human determination of the values within the landscape that
generates significance. The Forest Practices Authority,
Tasmania, will be holding a workshop - "The Methodology of Rural
Landscape Assessment" - that will explore the methodology of
landscape assessment and characterisation, integrating approaches
for assessing a range of values including biodiversity, landscape
and cultural heritage. The workshop will be followed by a field day
and will be of interest to any forest managers/planners/researchers
involved in the management of production forests. The
proposed timing for the event is March/April 2009. Watch this
space!
ANU/CRC Forestry Seminar Day, October 2008
Managing Australia's forests for their carbon stocks, as well as
for other values, adds a further layer of complexity and challenge
to both policy and management regimes. Recent reports and public
debates have highlighted significant areas of uncertainty
associated with accounting for forest carbon stocks and fluxes, and
associated policy and management options. This forum will explore
current scientific understanding of carbon stocks and fluxes in
Australia's forests, the likely consequences of different policy
and management regimes, and identify key areas of uncertainty and
how they might be addressed.
IUFRO 2010 Forests for the Future: Sustaining Society and the
Environment
The IUFRO Congress that will be held in Seoul, Korea, in August
2010, will be one of the largest global forest events, with
expected attendance to exceed 2,000 participants. It will bring
together scientists and stakeholders from all parts of the world to
discuss scientific and technical issues related to priority areas
of forest research, policy and management. The theme will be
'Forests for the Future: Sustaining Society and Environment'. The
World Congress will present an important opportunity to promote
understanding of the forest's role contributing to the
sustainability of the planet.
What's been on?
Biodiversity well-represented at ICE
 Four members of
the Biodiversity group and one from Project 4.4 (the Integrated
Pest Management Group) went to Durban, South Africa, in July to
attend the XXIII International Conference of Entomology (ICE
2008). Dr Julianne O'Reilly-Wapstra (UTAS), Dr Jane Elek
(Forestry Tasmania), Dr Treena Burgess (Murdoch University) and two
PhD students, Belinda Yaxley (UTAS) and Chela Powell (UMelb)
returned from the conference with diverse - but equally valuable -
experiences. [read more]
Australian pests are a global problem
 Whilst in South Africa in July, Dr Jane Elek
(Forestry Tasmania) attended a IUFRO meeting of people concerned
with forest entomology, in particular pests of eucalypt
plantations. Whilst in the field the scientists also
encountered another, much larger, forest pest. [read more]
Forest genetics research takes lime light in North America
 In August UTas PhD student, Rebecca Jones,
gave two oral presentations at a IUFRO-CTIA conference entitled
"Adaptation, Breeding and Conservation in the Era of Forest Tree
Genomics and Environmental Change" in Quebec City, Canada.
The conference was followed up with visits to leading research
groups at the University of British Columbia (UBC), Vancouver, and
Oregon State University, USA. [read more]
Water conferences tackle more than drought
 Tom Wright, a PhD
student at the University of Melbourne, recently travelled to
Birmingham, England, to attend a postgraduate students' conference
to discuss global water issues. While the Australian
delegates focused on drought, other attendees were more concerned
with other issues, from flood prediction to pollution. Back in
Australia, Tom attended the inaugural ecohydrology and
ecophysiology workshop in Western Australia, where he focussed
more on the physiological responses of different species to reduced
water resources. [read more]
Forests and climate change: the intelligence test for
humanity
 The International
Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) helps the world find
pragmatic solutions to our most pressing environmental and
development challenges by supporting scientific research, managing
field projects all over the world, and bringing governments, NGOs,
the UN, international conventions and companies together to develop
policy, laws and best practice. Peter Volker (Forestry
Tasmania) recently attended the IUCN World Conservation Congress
and shares his impressions. [read more]
Tallest flowering plant on earth moves!
 In April 2007 we reported on the successful use of
LIDAR for identifying giant trees within tall eucalypt forests
(click
here to read article from Biobuzz 2, April 2007).
Eighteen months later, LIDAR has identified the tallest flowering
plant on earth. The previous record was 97 m, held by "Icarus
Dream", a swamp gum (Eucalyptus regnans) in the Styx
Valley. That record has now been smashed by four
metres. The new giant measures an awesome 101 m and is
located less than five kilometres from Foretry Tasmania's Tahune
Airwalk. [read more]
Naming the giants
 The Tasmanian blue gum is one of the tallest
of all eucalypt species. Four giant trees are known today,
and the huge stem volume of one of these makes it the most massive
of all Tasmanian trees. While other giant trees in Tasmania
have diverse names from Greek mythology and the contemporary world,
the search is on for Aboriginal names for these four blue gums.
[read
more]
Australian mammal conference
 The Australian
Mammal Society (AMS) is an interdisciplinary society of biologists
whose common interest is in the biology and conservation of
Australian mammals. Two CRC Forestry PhD candidates
recently attended the 57th annual AMS conference in Darwin. Lisa
Cawthen reports. [read more]
Planning for biodiversity values in production forest in the
Wielangta area
 'Adaptive
management' is a term used to describe how information from
observation and research is incorporated into on-ground management,
with prescriptions and practices changing or evolving in response
to new information. Fred Duncan, from the Forest Practices
Authority (Tasmania), reports on adaptive management that has
resulted from cooperative research and information sharing by the
many stakeholders concerned with the Wielangta Forests of Southern
Tasmania. [read more]
Forestry students master environmental issues
Seventeen students from the National Forestry Masters Program
visited Tasmania recently to undertake a unit on "Plantations and
the Environment". The unit was taught by a panel of experts
from the CRC. [read more]
Biodiversity researcher attends weed conference
 In October
Dr Robert Barbour (UTAS) attended the second Tasmanian Weed
conference entitled 'Why the Weeds Won't Win'. While
most of the conference was focused on the management of weed
invasion through seed dispersal within the agricultural and
horticultural industries, Robert's poster focussed on issues
associated with dispersal by pollen.
IUFRO conference papers now available
The most recent issue of Southern Forests: a Journal of Forest
Science contains papers from a last year's meeting of a IUFRO
Working Group (2.08.03) entitled "Eucalypts and Diversity:
Balancing Productivity and Sustainability". The meeting
was held in Durban, South Africa, 22-26 October 2007.
Odd spot
Lord of the thistles champions Tasmanian blue gum
The Tasmanian blue gum (Eucalyptus globulus) is
Tasmania's floral emblem. But who decided?
Royalty? Well ... almost. [read more]
Subproject 4.2.1 Biodiversity benefits of alternatives to
clearfelling
A French connection in the southern forests
 Two forestry students from France are
collaborating with Forestry Tasmania staff to identify factors that
influence the plant species composition of early succession after
harvesting in aggregated retention coups.
[read
more]
Efficacy of aggregated retention in mammal conservation under
investigation
 Helen Stephens
recently gave her introductory PhD seminar at the University of
Tasmania. The seminar was titled "Does aggregated
retention provide suitable habitat for mammal conservation in old
growth forests?" Download a pdf of
her presentation.
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.
CRC student models plantation landscape outcomes
 Himlal Baral is a new
PhD student at the University of Melbourne. Himlal's PhD
research, based on the plantation landscape of the Green Triangle,
will examine various ways of integrating timber production with the
conservation of other ecosystem services at the landscape level.
[read
more]
High nutrient levels cause poor health in native woodlands
A collaborative research project between Dugald Close from the
Bushfire CRC and Neil Davidson and Tim Watson (CRC Forestry and
UTAS) has shown that the health of remnant woodlands in
agricultural landscapes is compromised by high soil nutrient levels
associated with grazing stock. The results have been
published in the international journal Biological
Conservation. [read more]
Forest health research takes molecular path
 Bryony Horton has returned
from a study trip to the University of California where she
undertook some DNA sequencing of various forest fungi mycorrhizae
and fruiting bodies to try to tie the fruiting bodies with the
vegetative stage.
[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
Development of coarse woody debris management
prescriptions
Modelling of CWD dynamics by Dr Simon Grove of Forestry Tasmania
suggests that CWD-dependent species that are reliant on logs
derived from large, old trees are likely to become scarcer in
production forest landscapes dominated by coupes subjected to
clearfelling on 80-100 year cycles unless effective conservation
measures are set in place. [read more]
Student update
Click
here to learn about CRC students associated with subproject
4.2.3.
Subproject 4.2.4 Tools for monitoring and assessing
biodiversity
Warra web pages improved and ready for action!
 Forestry
Tasmania scientists have been upgrading the functionality of
the species identification section of the Warra web
pages. This on-line resource is becoming increasingly
useful in aiding identification of the thousands of beetle
specimens arising from the Warra log decay project work and other
related studies in the southern forests. We hope that others
(not just beetle enthusiasts) will find these pages useful too.
[read
more]
NIRS aids rapid hybrid identification
 Identification of plant
hybrids produced from closely related species can be difficult
using only morphological characteristics, especially when
identifying young seedlings. John Humphries (UTAS) has
developed a method that allows rapid identification of Eucalyptus
hybrids using near infra-red spectroscopy (NIRS). His results are
in press. [read more]
Tool for defining the Eucalyptus globulus genetic
resource
 The
Tasmanian blue gum, Eucalyptus globulus, is the main
hardwood species grown in plantations in temperate regions of the
world (including Australia). One of the goals of this project
is to better understand the patterns of genetic diversity that
exist in native populations of E. globulus. A tool
that translates the results of our research into a user-friendly
tool for tree breeders and forest managers is available on-line
...[read
more]
Threatened Fauna Advisor to have major upgrade
 The CRC for Forestry
will co-invest with the Tasmanian Forest Practices Authority in the
upgrade of the Threatened Fauna Adviser. This computer-based
expert system is a major conduit for adoption of Biodiversity
research results into prescriptions and forestry planning
decisions. [read more]
Subproject 4.2.5 Management of forest species of high
conservation significance, including threatened species
New eucalypt taxa for the island of Tasmania
 Current
classifications of many of our eucalypt species do not account for
the large amount of spatially or ecologically structured genetic
diversity that can occur within species. For finer-scale
management of our forest genetic resources, it is important that
formal ‘labels’ be given to identifiable components of
this genetic diversity, particularly where it is spatially or
ecologically explicit. Two subspecies of the Tasmanian
endemic Eucalyptus cordata were described recently to
address this. [read more]
Saving the genes of one of Australia’s rarest
eucalypts
 Morrisby's gum,
Eucalyptus morrisbyi, is endemic to Tasmania and is one of
Australia’s rarest eucalypt species. Despite being in a
protected flora reserve, one genetically distinct population of
E. morrisbyi has undergone dramatic decline in the last 20
years. In a collaborative effort between the University of
Tasmania, the Tasmanian State Government and Forestry Tasmania,
seed from this threatened population is being put aside for future
generations. [read more]
Student update
Click
here to learn about CRC students associated with subproject
4.2.5.
Subproject 4.2.6 Management of the risk of gene flow from
eucalypt plantations
Fitness tests for exotic hybrids
 One potential impact
of the large area of eucalypt plantations being established across
Australia is the movement of plantation pollen into native eucalypt
populations, resulting in hybridisation and introgression of
non-local genes. This risk is being assessed through a multifaceted
research project headed by Robert Barbour. [read more]
Exotic eucalypt hybrids go undercover
 Young hybrid offspring of
native Tasmanian Eucalyptus ovata and exotic E.
nitens are readily identifiable by their distinctive juvenile
foliage. However, as the exotic hybrids mature they become
difficult to distinguish from the native E. ovata.
This forms a conundrum for forest managers when it comes to
identifying the exotic invaders. [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
Genetics of temperature adaptation assists seed transfer
success
 Recent extensive
bushfires have seriously depleted forests of Eucalyptus
delegatensis in Victoria. Many stands burnt in 2003 or
2007 have not regenerated and "off-site" seed has had to be used
for artificial regeneration. Alastair Reed (UMelb) recently
completed a PhD thesis on the genetics of frost tolerance in E.
delegatensis and his results are being incorporated into seed
transfer guidelines for this species. [read more]
Eucalyptus nitens breeding and genetic resources
reviewed
 Eucalyptus nitens
is the second most widely planted eucalypt species in
Australia and is being genetically improved both in Australia and
overseas. Matt Hamilton and co-authors recently published two
reviews of E. nitens breeding and genetic resources in
Australian breeding programs. [read more]
Stringy bark research makes headway
 A new study into genetic
variation in Eucalyptus obliqua has been given a boost by
new technology. Justin Bloomfield, an honours student at the
University of Tasmania, has collected samples from across Tasmania
and is embarking on a new fast-paced genotyping program. [read
more]
Late developer reaches maturity ... after 29
years
 After 29 years a field
trial of Eucalyptus regnans has finally decided to produce
some flowers. Professor Rod Griffin recently re-visited a
field trial he had established over a quarter of a century ago to
study the breeding system of this forest giant and shares his
thoughts. [read more]
Student update
Click
here to learn about CRC students associated with subproject
4.2.7.
Subproject 4.2.8 Integrated management of browsing
mammals
Comparing strategies for surviving browsers
 Over the winter months
Christina Borzak (PhD student, UTAS) has been planting trials to
assess the efficacy of different strategies that allow blue gums
(Eucalyptus globulus) to live with the effects of
mammalian browsers.
[read
more]
Will elevated CO2 affect the diets of plantation pests?
 Cassandra Price, a new
UTAS honours student, will be examining the effect of
elevated carbon dioxide on the chemical composition of blue gum
leaves and the down-stream response of a common plantation insect
pest. [read more]
Student update
Click
here to learn about CRC students associated with subproject
4.2.8.
Subproject 4.2.9 Lethal trap trees
Choice experiments give beetles indigestion
The development of lethal trap trees is proceeding well, after a
second year of planting plots of trap trees into new Eucalyptus
nitens plantations. Back in the lab, choice experiments
have shown that foliage cut from Eucalyptus regnans trees
that had been stem-infused with systemic insecticide deterred
Paropsisterna leaf beetles from eating too much and gave
them serious indigestion. [read more]
Subproject 4.2.10 Improving Mycosphaerella leaf
disease resistance in Eucalyptus globulus
DNA profiling can help to identify which
Mycosphaerella species are attacking your blue gums
 When evaluating
genetic differences in susceptibility of blue gums (Eucalyptus
globulus) to Mycosphaerella leaf disease it is
important to define the actual species of pathogen responsible for
the damage. However, it is often difficult to differentiate
Mycosphaerella species based on field symptoms, especially
when multiple species are present. A DNA-based technique has
been developed that allows rapid discrimination of five key
Mycosphaerella species. [read more]
Project 4.4 Integrated Pest Management Group (Western Australia and
Green Triangle)
Why has biological control of snout beetles in WA failed?
Honours student Tendai Mapondera (Murdoch University) has
produced some great results in his Honours project. You can
read about these in the Hot Spot in this issue of Biobuzz!
One of his supervisors, Dr Treena Burgess, presented Tendai's
results at the recent ICE conference in Durban, South Africa.
You can download
the pdf of her presentation here, and read more about CRC representatin at
the ICE conference here.
Business in the field
The IPMG has a strong focus on extension work aimed at adoption
of research results for integrated pest management in blue gum
plantations in south-west Western Australia and the Green
Triangle. The project coordinates regular monitoring of
natural enemy and insect herbivore activity in blue gum
plantations, develops protocols for assessment of insect pests for
project partners and provides regular technology transfer through
field days and training of company personnel. For a summary
of their recent activities ...[read more]
Related sites
Forest
Practices Authority newsletter
The editor of BioBuzz is Dr Dorothy
Steane. Please contact Dot with any feedback or with your ideas
for BioBuzz 8 (February 2009).
|
