The Cider Gum

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The Cider Gum a unique and sweet tree sadly over the years I have witnessed the passing of this tree that has such a long history of use for the high country settlers.

The Cider Gum (Eucalyptus Gunnii)

By 

Kevin L Fairbrother

The full Moon ablaze in the night sky

Beams down on the dead and dying Cider Gums

Their ghostly silhouettes, so white and stark

Now just a reminder of the past

…

The Central Plateau, the High Country of Tasmania

Is or was home to these magnificent trees

Now there bleached skeletons tell the story

That the environment in which they flourished has changed

…

Grazed extensively by native and domestic animals

Used by the aboriginals, settlers and trappers

The Cider Gum leaf, was used to make cider

And the sweet scent used to freshen homes

…

Eucalypts Gunnii (Cider Gum) unique to Tasmania

Once so prevalent and used in a variety of ways

Now standing forlorn, dead and slowly dying

Their limbs and branches bleached white by the sun

…

Many attempts have been made to re-introduce the gums

But the changing environment and pressure from the wildlife

Has meant that the Cider Gum is facing a loosing battle

For the seasons have changed, not enough rainfall and hot summers

And the  snow no longer on the ground for weeks on end

…

Such a unique and magnificent shade tree, stepped in history

Will soon be a distant memory and extinct

Will be left to the old timers to tell about the Cider Gums

For I have doubts that mother nature can revitalize Eucalyptus Gunnii

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Suzanne Delaney

Date: 11/8/2015 9:38:00 PM

Dear Kevin" I think the worst decision they made in land practices I bushlands all over Australia was to do away with controlled burning. At least with the slow fires the wildlife can go ahead of it and the seeds get the heat they need to germinate the seeds ,,,,now the undergrowth builds up to such a level that the fires that are triggered by lightning burn hotter and more deadly....do you thinks so having had experience in this area.? SuZ

Kevin Fairbrother
Date: 11/8/2015 10:01:00 PM

Hi Suz you cant put a very good or long reply in here, sucks. Plantations in their selves are a fire hazard and also the denude the understorey and muck up the water table. cheers Kev.

Kevin Fairbrother
Date: 11/8/2015 9:58:00 PM

You are so right and mainly it is because the feral trees and bushes crowd out the gums, they dont stand a chance of regenerating against fast growing trees like the wattles or the bush tomato and the other main cause is plantations, once clear felled the residue is burnt (useable waste) then ploughed and planted with one species the cross bred niten.

Suzanne Delaney

Date: 11/8/2015 10:15:00 AM

Hi Kevin: I was born in Tassie and feel sad when I read that trees such as these are dying out. Thanks for bringing awareness. I believe they are addressing old growth forests now in forestry, https://cdn.forestrytasmania.com.au/science/tasmanian-community-forestry-agreement-project-reports

Kevin Fairbrother
Date: 11/8/2015 4:21:00 PM

Hi Suzanne, you are along way from your birth home but hey a home is anywhere you make it. I am an ex forestry worker and yes past practices damaged and raped the forests, all for sake of profits for share holders in companies like Gunns. The debate to log old growth still goes on, Forestry Tas is on its knees and the wood chip industry is but a shadow of its former self. Climate change is on going, with die back all over the state. Thanks for the visit, have a good day cheers Kev

Robert Lindley

Date: 11/4/2015 7:11:00 PM

Love this poem and I deeply love trees. Trees were my toys at a very young age,years later great respect for the majestic and beautiful Titans emerged! A7

Kevin Fairbrother
Date: 11/5/2015 5:13:00 PM

Thanks Robert and I love trees especially those stepped in history like the Huon Pine and the Cider Gum. cheers Kev