There is always a danger making lists but, to my mind, some of the main events that have shaped forest and bushfire management in Victoria are below… • 1820s – Before European settlement around 88% of the 23.7 million ha of what was to become the Colony of Victoria was tree-covered. • 1851 – InContinue reading “Growth Rings (updated).”
Monthly Archives: December 2023
Formation of the CFA – the summer of 1943-44.
Most people know about the Black Saturday Bushfires in 2009, and possibly can recall Ash Wednesday in 1983, or maybe have even heard of Black Friday in 1939. But very few could recount the 1943-44 summer bushfires when over 1 million hectares was burnt, 51 people were killed, 700 injured, and 650 buildings were destroyed.Continue reading “Formation of the CFA – the summer of 1943-44.”
Forests and Bushfire History of Victoria – Series 4 (2023)
It’s been another busy year on the Victorian Forests and Bushfire Heritage FB page. Once again, the main stories have been gathered up into free eBook and published in the National and State Libraries so they don’t get lost in the Facebook soup. Other notable things for 2023 include. Im not sure about next year…Continue reading “Forests and Bushfire History of Victoria – Series 4 (2023)”
Christmas Trees
For 100 years, the National Christmas Tree has stood on the “Ellipse”, which is south of the White House in Washington DC. Another tree is positioned outside the US Capitol Buildings. The US Forest Service has been called upon many times to supply the festive trees. The trees this year are two Norway spruces (Picea abies)Continue reading “Christmas Trees”
Splitting guns.
Black powder splitting guns were commonly used to split large logs into more manageable pieces before the advent of excavators and front-end loaders in bush logging operations. A typical splitting gun used in Victorian forests was a piece of high-grade steel about 1-1/2 to 2 inches in diameter and about 16 inches long, and slightlyContinue reading “Splitting guns.”
Tall trees and taller tales.
It’s often said that mountain ash, Eucalyptus regnans, is the world’s tallest flowering plant, and possibly the tallest plant of all time, although no living specimens can make that claim. Tree height is influenced by species, genetics, age, stand density, soil type and depth, rainfall, aspect, altitude, protection from wind and snow damage, fire historyContinue reading “Tall trees and taller tales.”
Biltmore Stick
The most common way that Australian foresters measure tree diameter is to place a calibrated tape around the stem at breast height (1.3m). It’s simple, but can be slow, particularly if the scrub is thick, or if there are heaps of trees. The Biltmore Stick was developed at the famous Biltmore forestry school in NorthContinue reading “Biltmore Stick”
Branding Hammers.
Metal branding hammers were the most common way to control the sale and movement of hardwood timber produce like logs, railway sleepers, fence posts, and poles from Victorian State forests. Royalty was also paid on this basis. The hammer had a crown stamp on one end with a unique number in the middle which identifiedContinue reading “Branding Hammers.”
Reuben Ferguson.
Reuben Douglas Ferguson died alone after he was crushed by a burning tree at a bushfire near Gembrook in January 1955. Reuben was born at Greytown near Heathcote in 1897 and enlisted in 1916 with the 39th Battalion to serve in France, where he was gassed. Reuben worked as a labourer and had been employedContinue reading “Reuben Ferguson.”
Victoria’s Forests & Bushfire Heritage 