Cherish treasure box

Huon Pine is the oldest living tree in Australia, second oldest in the world (after North American bristle cone). It can live for 3,000 years, that means some of them are older than the invention of Greek democracy by Cleisthenes at 507B.C. They only grow very slowly in the cool temperate climate in Tasmanian, averaging just 1 millimetre in girth per year; and they start to reproduce until 600 to 800 years of age. The timber has a very high oil content, which renders it impervious to insects, waterproof, and imbues it with its characteristic sappy perfume. The retrieval of stumps left over from old logging led to the discovery of tons of ancient buried Huon pine logs, some dated at 38,000 years old and still intact despite being buried in the damp earth at that time.

Currently 85% of remaining Huon Pine forests are conserved in National Parks while 15% is managed by Forestry Tasmania for salvage. It is estimated that the supplies of salvaged dead timber will last for another 2 generations.

However Professor Tim Brodribb from the University of Tasmania is one of those concerned about what carbon dioxide emissions could mean for the giant tree.
“If the emissions continue to rise as they are at the moment, then this species [Huon pine] and a lot of species in Tasmania will be extinct in 100 years for sure,” he said in an article Huon pine trees live for 3,000 years but climate change could wipe them out in the next 50

Tasmanian Myrtle is a dominant species of the cool temperate rainforest, found in the north-west and west of the state, though small communities thrive on the Tasman Peninsula and South Bruny Island. It can attain heights of up to 50m and ages in excess of 500 years.

A striking wood with rich red, brown, and almost orange tones and makes an excellent finishing timber, it is believed the richness of colour comes from the quality of the organic soil it grows in. The deepest red myrtle comes from highly fertile soils on basalt. The colour is vibrant, combining subtle variations in tone with the texture and sheen of wavy and fiddleback features to produce a surface alive with character and individuality. Taking a deep lustre when polished, Myrtle is prized by architects and furniture makers alike.