Flames of Extinction by John Pickrell

Author:John Pickrell
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Island Press
Published: 2021-04-15T00:00:00+00:00

When I interview Crust about the mission to save the Wollemi pine he sidesteps several questions and offers ambiguous responses to others. The NPWS is careful not to give too much away about when precisely the firefighting operation took place, in case they inadvertently reveal the covert location of the pines.

Much of Wollemi National Park is impenetrable wilderness, and the pines are typically accessed by helicopter, but people are still concerned that fanatical enthusiasts or those hoping to profit from the rare trees might hike in, if they knew where these living fossils were found.

‘There are a number of significant potential threats to those wild populations, and probably the most significant is the introduction of soil pathogens such as phytophthora [root-rot fungus],’ he tells me. ‘We know it can be transmitted easily by footwear of people who are in the site illegally. The decision was made early on that it should remain confidential to protect the species from those impacts, and also collection of plant material and trampling of seedlings.’

Despite the risk of a $220 000 fine and two years in jail, people have attempted to access the groves over the years. This is how root rot got into one of them, threatening trees in 2005.3

Several further smart actions were taken after the discovery of the trees to protect the species and limit the chance of a catastrophes such as bushfires wiping it out.

Firstly, it was cultivated commercially and became available to buy in 2006, meaning tens of thousands of these trees now grow in people’s backyards across Australia and the world. In Australia, you can buy one for $90. This clever decision lessened the incentive to steal seeds and saplings from the wild, but also made it much harder for the species to be sent entirely to extinction.

Secondly, seedlings were propagated to create insurance populations both in other gullies in the Wollemi National Park and in captivity. Cuttings were also taken of every mature tree and propagated into saplings. This replica population of clones, representing the genes of the whole species, is housed at the Australian Botanic Garden Mount Annan, in western Sydney.

The species is now likely to survive in captivity. But losing it in the wild, after its incredible hundreds of millions of years survival story, would be a great tragedy. That is why the firefighting effort in 2019 had to succeed. Crust and his team knew they had to go all-out to protect the wild Wollemi pines from destruction.

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