On June 21, I sent the following letter to the editor of The Australian. The newspaper chose not to publish it.
In 2003, while the member for Vasse in the WA Parliament, I lost Liberal
Party endorsement to contest the 2005 election. Troy Buswell was
selected in my place and he subsequently went on to win the 2005 and
2008 elections. Early on in his political life, he was touted as the
'great hope' of the Liberal Party, being seen by some as a future leader
and premier. Since then, we have witnessed his many indiscretions and
personality failings.
This history is important in understanding WA premier Colin Barnett's
disappointment in not having his preferred candidate Kate Lamont chosen
by the Liberal Party to stand as its candidate in the safe seat of
Churchlands. Barnett was made the leader of the parliamentary Liberal
Party in 2008 because then leader Buswell had committed another personal
indiscretion. In desperation, the party's power brokers made Barnett
leader in the expectation that then premier Alan Carpenter would win the
next election, after which Barnett would retire from politics.
When Carpenter called an early election and then ran an inept election
campaign, Barnett was able to win government with the support of the
Nationals. However, the Liberal Party had failed to endorse enough
quality candidates prior to the hastily called election, the result
being that Barnett had a very limited talent pool from which to choose
his cabinet. His personal qualities have been the major factor in his
government retaining majority elector support. With the next election
only nine months away and using his authority as the Liberal leader who
won the unwinnable election, Barnett tried to get a quality candidate -
Lamont - endorsed for a safe seat so that, after winning the next
election, he'd have a better range of MPs from which to select his
ministers.
The rebuff he has suffered as a result of Lamont's failure to win
preselection is a reflection of the hold that the ABC faction - Anyone
But Colin - still retains within the WA Liberal Party. Noel
Crichton-Browne, Norman Moore and Senator Mathias Cormann currently
control the lay party and, as they have shown in the past, they believe
it is better to retain control over the party and lose government,
rather than lose their control but retain government.
Lamont's failure should be viewed as nothing more than the party's power
brokers retaining their control. The people of WA may see it as a
deliberate slap in the face to a premier who has only moderate factional
support within his own party but, in reality, it's just a reflection of
the sad malaise that currently afflicts most political parties in WA and
Australia.
Saturday, June 30, 2012
Friday, June 15, 2012
DON'T PLANT TREES ON PLANET ARK'S NATIONAL TREE DAY
July 27 is Planet Ark's National Tree day but it's the wrong time of year to be planting trees in south west WA. A date in late July was selected by Planet Ark more than 10 years ago to best suit tree planting in eastern Australia but it's a totally inappropriate time of year for most of the south west of this state.
I make this call in my capacity as an environmental consultant based in the south west since 1976. I'm also president of one of rural WA's largest and most active conservation groups, the Busselton Naturalists Club.
The end of July is mid-winter in our Mediterranean climate and it's usually the coldest part of the year. Plants put in the ground in late July will generally just sit there and hibernate, waiting for the warmer temperatures of spring in September and October.
They then just have a few weeks of warmer spring weather to get their roots deep enough into the water table to survive our hot summers.
So the best time of year to plant is right now - June - after the first heavy winter rains have fallen and while the ground is still warm.
Planting in late July also means that seedlings miss out on the 4 to 10 weeks of root development that could have been achieved if they had been planted in the period from mid-May until the end of June. These few weeks may be the difference between life and death for the seedlings when the rains stop in spring and our hot dry summers cause water tables to drop by a metre or more.
If seedlings can get their roots down into the water table early in the growing season, they have a better chance of following the water table down into the subsoil as summer evaporation takes hold.
Spring is an important time to plant seedlings into wetlands, as the receding water levels allow plants to be placed into damp but freshly exposed soils, allowing good root development to sustain the seedlings over summer.
In heavier soils in the wheatbelt where soil moisture can persist late into the spring, plantings in late winter can make some sense.
But the sandy soils of the Swan Coastal Plain where most West Australians live dry out very quickly in springtime, so a July 27 planting is risking the loss of most seedlings.
I've previously spoken with Planet Ark about how unsuitable their National Tree Day is for much of the south west of WA. I've suggested that they should select a more suitable date in late May or June and call it WA Tree Day or similar but my pleas have been ignored.
While I was the member for Vasse, I also approached the state government and urged them to promote Arbor Day as the south west's tree planting day. The Department of Environment and Conservation's website doesn't show when Arbor Day was scheduled for 2012 but it's usually in middle to late May or early June which is often ideal for most of the south west.
I'm urging school and community groups, as well as individuals, to get out and get dirty now, with planting through to the end of June preferred.
I'm also urging people to buy local plants that are well suited to our climatic and soil conditions.
And buying from local nurseries makes a lot of sense, especially from the Geographe Community Landcare Nursery on Queen Elizabeth Avenue who specialise in seed collected locally and whose staff can provide excellent advice on the plants best suited to your garden or farm.
July 27 is Planet Ark's National Tree day but it's the wrong time of year to be planting trees in south west WA. A date in late July was selected by Planet Ark more than 10 years ago to best suit tree planting in eastern Australia but it's a totally inappropriate time of year for most of the south west of this state.
I make this call in my capacity as an environmental consultant based in the south west since 1976. I'm also president of one of rural WA's largest and most active conservation groups, the Busselton Naturalists Club.
The end of July is mid-winter in our Mediterranean climate and it's usually the coldest part of the year. Plants put in the ground in late July will generally just sit there and hibernate, waiting for the warmer temperatures of spring in September and October.
They then just have a few weeks of warmer spring weather to get their roots deep enough into the water table to survive our hot summers.
So the best time of year to plant is right now - June - after the first heavy winter rains have fallen and while the ground is still warm.
Planting in late July also means that seedlings miss out on the 4 to 10 weeks of root development that could have been achieved if they had been planted in the period from mid-May until the end of June. These few weeks may be the difference between life and death for the seedlings when the rains stop in spring and our hot dry summers cause water tables to drop by a metre or more.
If seedlings can get their roots down into the water table early in the growing season, they have a better chance of following the water table down into the subsoil as summer evaporation takes hold.
Spring is an important time to plant seedlings into wetlands, as the receding water levels allow plants to be placed into damp but freshly exposed soils, allowing good root development to sustain the seedlings over summer.
In heavier soils in the wheatbelt where soil moisture can persist late into the spring, plantings in late winter can make some sense.
But the sandy soils of the Swan Coastal Plain where most West Australians live dry out very quickly in springtime, so a July 27 planting is risking the loss of most seedlings.
I've previously spoken with Planet Ark about how unsuitable their National Tree Day is for much of the south west of WA. I've suggested that they should select a more suitable date in late May or June and call it WA Tree Day or similar but my pleas have been ignored.
While I was the member for Vasse, I also approached the state government and urged them to promote Arbor Day as the south west's tree planting day. The Department of Environment and Conservation's website doesn't show when Arbor Day was scheduled for 2012 but it's usually in middle to late May or early June which is often ideal for most of the south west.
I'm urging school and community groups, as well as individuals, to get out and get dirty now, with planting through to the end of June preferred.
I'm also urging people to buy local plants that are well suited to our climatic and soil conditions.
And buying from local nurseries makes a lot of sense, especially from the Geographe Community Landcare Nursery on Queen Elizabeth Avenue who specialise in seed collected locally and whose staff can provide excellent advice on the plants best suited to your garden or farm.
Wednesday, June 06, 2012
Western Australia’s catastrophic forest collapse
The Conversation
5 June 2012
Western Australia’s catastrophic forest collapse
Recent, unprecedented, climate-driven forest collapses in Western Australia show us that ecosystem change can be sudden, dramatic and catastrophic. These collapses are a clear signal that we must develop new strategies to mitigate or prevent the future effects of climate change in Australian woodlands.....
Authors
George Matusick, Post Doctoral Research Fellow at Murdoch University
Giles Hardy, Professor in Forest Pathology at Murdoch University
Katinka Ruthrof, Research Associate at Murdoch University
Recent, unprecedented, climate-driven forest collapses in Western Australia show us that ecosystem change can be sudden, dramatic and catastrophic. These collapses are a clear signal that we must develop new strategies to mitigate or prevent the future effects of climate change in Australian woodlands and forests. But society’s view of forests is ever-changing: are we willing to understand ecosystems and adapt to changing conditions?
The south west of Western Australia has experienced a long-term climate shift since the early 1970s, resulting in dryer and hotter than average conditions. This shifted baseline, or average, has also led to more frequent extreme events. In 2010, the region experienced the driest and second hottest year on record.
These climate changes have resulted in significant decreases in stream-flow and groundwater levels. For example, formerly permanent streams now stop flowing for considerable periods. Groundwater levels have fallen up to 11 meters in some forested areas, with larger decreases in populated areas. Clearly, soil water reserves have dried out substantially and will likely continue to do so; we are now starting to see the implications of this. Although most of the West Australian society, particularly those in urban environments, may be well-buffered from these changes, ecosystems are not.
The climatic changes occurring in the south west of Western Australia are contributing to deteriorating woodland and forest health. In the past 20 years, insect infestations and fungal diseases have plagued many iconic tree species, including tuart, wandoo, flooded gum, marri, and WA peppermint, increasing their mortality rates. Many of these disorders are likely triggered or incited by changing climate conditions.
The recent climate-related deaths of tracts of Western Australian forest go beyond a green issue. George Matusick
In extreme climate conditions, woodland and forest health suffers most. For instance, during the record dry and hot period in 2010 and 2011, large patches of trees throughout the region suddenly collapsed, with little recovery in some areas. Along the coastal plain surrounding Perth, some areas of Banksia woodland suffered losses as high as 70-80%, while over 500 ha of tuart woodland collapsed and over 15,000 ha of exotic pine plantations (~70% north of Perth) were destroyed. In the northern jarrah forest, over 16,000 ha of forest suddenly collapsed, with mortality rates 10.5 times greater than normal.
In several ecosystems, species have died out and not been replaced, permanently shifting vegetation structure and ecosystem function. Some believe that species and ecosystems will transition slowly in response to climate change. But following the extreme conditions experienced in 2010-11, we now know the transition in many West Australian woodlands and forests will likely occur in sudden, catastrophic, step changes.
Many species may not have time to adapt.
Other species - like Carnaby's Black Cockatoo - suffer when forests die. Ken & Nyetta/Flickr
These often sudden and dramatic shifts in vegetation health, structure and function have profound consequences on associated flora and fauna, including many critically endangered species. The Mediterranean type-ecosystems of the south west were recently named among the top 10 ecosystems most vulnerable to climate-induced tipping points and degradation by a panel of 26 leading Australian ecologists. The region is one of 35 global biodiversity hotspots, harbouring approximately 1500 plant species, most of which aren’t found anywhere else.
Among the most well known animal species is the near-extinct Carnaby’s Black Cockatoo, which relies heavily on Banksia and pine food resources made scarce by habitat conversion. Tree collapse on the coastal plain in 2010-11 likely played a role in the 34% decline in the Carnaby’s Black Cockatoo population in the Greater Perth Region between 2010 and 2011.
Many more plant and animal species are susceptible to similar collapses given the current climate trajectory and future climate predictions. Indeed, many of the traditional values that forests have provided could well be under threat.
Historically, Australian forests have been valued for the resources they provide: timber, charcoal, water, recreation, sequestered carbon, and biodiversity amongst others. With failing forest health, all of these resources are affected. The threats to forests from climate change cross ideological boundaries: this isn’t just a “green” issue. The management of forests is at a crossroads, where decisions about their future need to be made.
To do this, society needs to answer some basic questions:
• Do we still value forests?
• What do we want forests to look like in the future?
• What are we doing now to preserve forest health in this period of climate change?
• Should additional strategies and methods be developed to help forests have time to adapt to these changes?
Although the recent forest collapses in WA are tragic, they are also a valuable opportunity to understand forest susceptibility, stress thresholds, interactions among stress factors (such as insect pests and fungal pathogens) and forest tipping points. Better understanding these aspects is critical if we want to prevent future collapse.
The debate on this article can be found at
https://theconversation.edu.au/western-australias-catastrophic-forest-collapse-6925#comments
Western Australia’s catastrophic forest collapse
Recent, unprecedented, climate-driven forest collapses in Western Australia show us that ecosystem change can be sudden, dramatic and catastrophic. These collapses are a clear signal that we must develop new strategies to mitigate or prevent the future effects of climate change in Australian woodlands.....
Authors
George Matusick, Post Doctoral Research Fellow at Murdoch University
Giles Hardy, Professor in Forest Pathology at Murdoch University
Katinka Ruthrof, Research Associate at Murdoch University
Recent, unprecedented, climate-driven forest collapses in Western Australia show us that ecosystem change can be sudden, dramatic and catastrophic. These collapses are a clear signal that we must develop new strategies to mitigate or prevent the future effects of climate change in Australian woodlands and forests. But society’s view of forests is ever-changing: are we willing to understand ecosystems and adapt to changing conditions?
The south west of Western Australia has experienced a long-term climate shift since the early 1970s, resulting in dryer and hotter than average conditions. This shifted baseline, or average, has also led to more frequent extreme events. In 2010, the region experienced the driest and second hottest year on record.
These climate changes have resulted in significant decreases in stream-flow and groundwater levels. For example, formerly permanent streams now stop flowing for considerable periods. Groundwater levels have fallen up to 11 meters in some forested areas, with larger decreases in populated areas. Clearly, soil water reserves have dried out substantially and will likely continue to do so; we are now starting to see the implications of this. Although most of the West Australian society, particularly those in urban environments, may be well-buffered from these changes, ecosystems are not.
The climatic changes occurring in the south west of Western Australia are contributing to deteriorating woodland and forest health. In the past 20 years, insect infestations and fungal diseases have plagued many iconic tree species, including tuart, wandoo, flooded gum, marri, and WA peppermint, increasing their mortality rates. Many of these disorders are likely triggered or incited by changing climate conditions.
The recent climate-related deaths of tracts of Western Australian forest go beyond a green issue. George MatusickIn extreme climate conditions, woodland and forest health suffers most. For instance, during the record dry and hot period in 2010 and 2011, large patches of trees throughout the region suddenly collapsed, with little recovery in some areas. Along the coastal plain surrounding Perth, some areas of Banksia woodland suffered losses as high as 70-80%, while over 500 ha of tuart woodland collapsed and over 15,000 ha of exotic pine plantations (~70% north of Perth) were destroyed. In the northern jarrah forest, over 16,000 ha of forest suddenly collapsed, with mortality rates 10.5 times greater than normal.
In several ecosystems, species have died out and not been replaced, permanently shifting vegetation structure and ecosystem function. Some believe that species and ecosystems will transition slowly in response to climate change. But following the extreme conditions experienced in 2010-11, we now know the transition in many West Australian woodlands and forests will likely occur in sudden, catastrophic, step changes.
Many species may not have time to adapt.
Other species - like Carnaby's Black Cockatoo - suffer when forests die. Ken & Nyetta/FlickrThese often sudden and dramatic shifts in vegetation health, structure and function have profound consequences on associated flora and fauna, including many critically endangered species. The Mediterranean type-ecosystems of the south west were recently named among the top 10 ecosystems most vulnerable to climate-induced tipping points and degradation by a panel of 26 leading Australian ecologists. The region is one of 35 global biodiversity hotspots, harbouring approximately 1500 plant species, most of which aren’t found anywhere else.
Among the most well known animal species is the near-extinct Carnaby’s Black Cockatoo, which relies heavily on Banksia and pine food resources made scarce by habitat conversion. Tree collapse on the coastal plain in 2010-11 likely played a role in the 34% decline in the Carnaby’s Black Cockatoo population in the Greater Perth Region between 2010 and 2011.
Many more plant and animal species are susceptible to similar collapses given the current climate trajectory and future climate predictions. Indeed, many of the traditional values that forests have provided could well be under threat.
Historically, Australian forests have been valued for the resources they provide: timber, charcoal, water, recreation, sequestered carbon, and biodiversity amongst others. With failing forest health, all of these resources are affected. The threats to forests from climate change cross ideological boundaries: this isn’t just a “green” issue. The management of forests is at a crossroads, where decisions about their future need to be made.
To do this, society needs to answer some basic questions:
• Do we still value forests?
• What do we want forests to look like in the future?
• What are we doing now to preserve forest health in this period of climate change?
• Should additional strategies and methods be developed to help forests have time to adapt to these changes?
Although the recent forest collapses in WA are tragic, they are also a valuable opportunity to understand forest susceptibility, stress thresholds, interactions among stress factors (such as insect pests and fungal pathogens) and forest tipping points. Better understanding these aspects is critical if we want to prevent future collapse.
The debate on this article can be found at
https://theconversation.edu.au/western-australias-catastrophic-forest-collapse-6925#comments
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