A specialist team of remote area firefighters is helping to save the prehistoric Wollemi Pines from the ravages of Australia’s devastating bushfires. The pines are known as “dinosaur trees” as fossil records show they existed up to 200 million years ago, and there are fewer than 200 left.
According to Environment Minister Matt Kean, firefighters have saved the only known natural group of these trees in Wollemi National Park, located in the northern Blue Mountains and Lower Hunter regions of New South Wales. This area represents the sole place in the world where these trees are found in their natural habitat. They were thought to be extinct prior to 1994, and their exact location is kept secret to prevent contamination from external sources.
The operation involved collaboration with the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service and NSW Rural Fire Services. In response to the approaching fire, large air tankers were deployed to lay fire retardant, while firefighters were winched into remote areas from helicopters to establish an irrigation system, enhancing the moisture content of the ground fuels.
As the fire approached, firefighters operated the irrigation system and helicopters dropped water from buckets at the fire’s edge to mitigate its impact on the groves of trees. Consequently, while some trees were charred, the species has survived the fires, though the full effects of the fire are still unknown and may take time to fully understand.
Matt Kean states, “The 2019 wildfire is the first-ever opportunity to observe the fire response of mature Wollemi Pine in a natural setting. This will assist in refining our long-term fire management strategies for these important sites.” Additionally, he emphasizes that illegal visitation poses a significant threat to the survival of the Wollemi Pines in the wild. Such activities risk trampling regenerating plants and introducing diseases that could jeopardize the remaining populations, potentially hindering their recovery.
