勛圖厙桴

Snow gum extinction on the agenda this February

Friends of the Earth Melbourne

A landscape full of ghosts, the silver sheen of dead snow gum trees now decorates the rolling mountains of the Australian Alps. An inaugural event to explore how to save the iconic snow gum from extinction will be held on February 14-16 at Dinner Plain Village in the Victorian high country.

The Snow Gum Summit conference will bring together leading academics, outdoor groups, First Nations custodians, land managers and community associations across the Alps to brainstorm and collaborate on interventions to halt the decline of snow gums.

The gnarled, coloured bark of snow gum trees can be recognised in paintings as being quintessentially Australian, but due to climate impacts like more frequent bushfires and dieback from exploding beetle populations, only 1 percent of healthy unburnt snow gum woodland remains in Victoria.

Hosted by Friends of the Earth, the Snow Gum Summit will feature expert speakers, workshops, and guided bush walks to areas with special remnants of old snow gum forests, including the Bogong High Plains and Mt Wills. With tickets capped at 80 attendees, the Snow Gum Summit will put saving this treasure of the Australian bush firmly on the state governments agenda.

More info and the full program here.

Please credit Cam Walker / Friends of the Earth

/Public Release.