How can we better protect Tasmania's forests?
In the last few years, Tasmania has made quite a bit of progress towards protecting native forests, but there is still a lot of space for us to do better.
The first step to protecting nature, whether on land or on sea is to identify what the threats are. For Tasmanian forests some of the key threats today are logging and clear-cutting and the effects of warmer temperatures. These threats feed into each other. When trees are cut down carbon dioxide is released into the atmosphere and less is taken out. When this happens, the global temperature rises. Not only this, trees and other plant species work together to create their ideal growing conditions. When trees are lost from an area it also means there is, for instance, less shade to help the remaining plants keep each other cool. Like us, all species have a limit to how much of heat or cold they can withstand; in the same way that we find it hard to do anything when it is too hot, trees are also less able to do the things that they need to do to live. Recently, there was a lot of research, including one done in Huon Valley during a heatwave, that found that trees are less able to feed themselves through photosynthesis when the temperature is too high for them. When it’s too hot, trees also emit more Carbon dioxide into the air, this is because, as with all species that breathe (this includes trees!) they respire more when it is hot. So, in more ways than one, less trees means more heat and, unfortunately more heat also means more fire danger.
It is important for us to know and understand that fire is a natural part of the life cycle of many forest plants in Australia. Fires help some plant seeds to germinate, it helps clear the forest floor allowing sunlight to reach the seeds on the ground. It kills off weeds and insects that might be harming the surrounding plants, and it even helps add nutrients that plants need to grow into the soil. So, fire is not bad, fire is needed for forests to continue growing, but all things in nature (us included) needs delicate balance. Too little or too much of something can impact your health and growth, for instance, you need carbohydrates and proteins in your diet to be healthy, but too much of either will lead to health issues. In recent years, bushfires have been burning too hot and for too long for forests. Instead of helping seeds grow and clearing away things that are harming them, these fires, often made worse by climate change, is burning the forests away.
So, what can we do to reduce these threats and help forests thrive? We need to take into account all those things that our forests need in order to grow, and make sure that management plans for these forests are correctly and efficiently addressing these needs. Aboriginal knowledge and scientific research in recent years, tell us a lot about what conditions Tasmania’s plants grow best in. It is important that we push for forest management that synthesizes these knowledge systems. With the changing climate, we need to think about how we can make our forests more resilient heat and other changing conditions too. So, forest managers will need to carefully nurture and cultivate forests by working with the environment in the same way that Aboriginal communities have done for centuries past. For instance, seeds of species collected from warmer forest areas can be sown to grow trees that are better able to handle warmer temperatures. There is always variation even within a single population – my brother, for example, is much better at handling cold weather than I am! Research can help identify individual trees that can withstand heat better and we can grow these in forests to help the secure the future of the forest. This is something that researchers are trying right now to help bring back Giant Kelp forests in eastern Tasmania.
As part of forest management, we also need improved fire management in Tasmania. This means working towards reducing large bushfires while also applying planned fires to areas that need regular burning. This requires quite a lot of careful planning that considers species that are sensitive to fire, species that need fire, threatened species and habitats that need protection, safety conditions, etc. Forest management also needs to reduce other threats, such as logging and pollution. This is quite a lot to think about and plan for, but it is entirely doable by working together with the right sources of information, the right tools and with a united goal. In other words, we know how we can protect forests better and what is needed to do this… but more resources, such as funding for more research and planning, and support is needed if we are to properly conserve our forests.
By advocating for and asking your councils and political leaders for better, more sustainable forest management, we can increase the amount of funding and resources that governments put towards protecting and managing them. In Australia, there is always space to be involved in decisions made by governing bodies, you can find out what your local council is doing through their website, or simply by giving them a call. Be involved where you can and ask those around you to do the same. Your voice always counts! We can of course also contribute to protecting our forests through everyday things. The best way to reduce deforestation and logging, not just in Tasmania but globally, is to reduce demand for it. Re-using, recycling, upcycling, and reducing consumption of things like paper would reduce the need for trees to be cut down at all.
All things on earth only work when working together, whether it’s a colony of ants, a forest system, or a nation of people – it is the simplest law of nature. Protecting one system means to protect another. Protecting forests will benefit us all. All things considered, to better protect Tasmania’s forests, it would truly be enough simply to remind ourselves and everyone around us of this!
