Tuesday, 24 February 2015

Tall Timber Country

The south-western corner of Western Australia has a unique forest of tall trees, mainly tingle trees and karris. Their think trunks soar upwards completely straight and without any branches until they reach the canopy. We were overawed by them driving through the forest and walking through sections containing the tallest trees.

These trees have evolved to withstand bush fires. Many of the tingle trees have their core burnt out, but by growing buttresses, they continue to thrive. The karris actually need fire for new shoots to grow and for the dormant seeds to germinate. Indeed we drove through an area that had only just been opened after the recent bush fires and everything looked completely burnt out and some trees were still smouldering.

The forests come down close to the ocean, so our trip included yet more spectacular beaches and cliffs.

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