The largest trees in Australia

• Published in: Austral Ecology
• Main Authors: Williams, Jessica L., Lindenmayer, David, Mifsud, Brett
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Wiley 2023
• Subjects: First Nations
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/aec.13292; https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/aec.13292; https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full-xml/10.1111/aec.13292

Abstract Large old trees have many critical ecological functions. We collated information about Australia's tallest and largest (by circumference) trees from several databases. The 20 tallest trees in Australia are currently all Mountain Ash ( Eucalyptus regnans ) found primarily in Tasmania. There are also some Mountain Ash trees in Victoria which are over 90 m tall and still increasing in height. The 20 largest (by circumference) trees are distributed throughout four states (NSW, TAS, WA and VIC) with Mountain Ash accounting for more than half of the trees on this list. Making this information available in one location increases its accessibility and allows for priority species and areas for conservation to be more easily identified. Documenting the size and condition of trees, together with their location, will enable them to be revisited and monitored in the future. This practice will allow changes in tree condition, occurring through growth and/or deterioration, to be documented. We trust that by increasing the accessibility of this information, we encourage more people to take an interest in the ecology and conservation of large old trees. This is important given the past and present cultural significance of trees to Australia's First Nations People and the need to preserve this information and appreciation for nature.