The Tree Geebung. What is it? Does it matter? Is this one of those intermittently amusing threads?

All shall be revealed.

Photo: Daniel White

A Tree Geebung is one of about 100 species of a plant genus called Persoonia.

The name Geebung itself is from the Dharug language of the Sydney area.

Pictures: Daniel White

You may have heard the name before: Banjo Patterson wrote a poem called The Geebung Polo Club back in 1893. Worth a read!

http://www.middlemiss.org/lit/authors/patersonab/poetry/geebung.html

However, our focus here is on one species only: Persoonia arborea.

It is a shrub, sometimes a small tree. It flowers in summer, followed by fleshy green fruits. These ripen on the ground, and are edible.

Photos: Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria

This plant is special for a few reasons.

One is that it is endemic: it ONLY occurs in Victoria, within cool wet forests.

Another is that it is classified as vulnerable. Not just because it is geographically limited.

It grows slowly and does not reach reproductive maturity until about 100 years old.

Left alone, it can become a very old plant too - up to 400 years old.

If you thought the words 'endemic' and 'vulnerable' were familiar, you may be thinking of an animal species from the same forests.

Here's a Venn diagram to illustrate their similarities.

Which animal could this be?

If you guessed correctly, you are impressively well informed. Maybe good-looking too.

Anyway, like Leadbeaters Possum, it has the misfortune to live in Central Highland forests targeted by loggers.

Now, VicForests' Code of Practice states that Tree Geebung within coupes are to be protected 'where possible'.

It is worded loosely enough to drive a bulldozer through. And VicForests do this regularly, citing 'operational constraints'.

In the Leadbeaters Possum v VicForests case, Justice Mortimer noted how this loose phrase leads to loose behaviour by logging contractors.

The excerpt from her findings below (in relation to a coupe named 'Skerry's Reach') is worth a read, in part because it is so well written.

So, has VicForests changed its practices since the court case?

Within the last few months, Warburton Environment have lodged several breach reports with the Office of the Conservation Regulator, noting how Tree Geebung have been damaged or destroyed by logging operations.

As an aside, these Geebung (and all threatened species) are supposed to be surveyed, with their position recorded on a GPS, by the Department of Environment and whatever (DEWLP).

It's called the Forest Protection Survey Program. But its purpose is to facilitate logging.

These surveys are not exhaustive, nor are they supposed to release VicForests of its obligation to do surveys. Although that hasn't stopped VicForests from trying to pass the buck.

Here is a pithy summary from Justice Mortimer.

Anyway, here's an example of what happened at the coupe 'Turkey Feet', logged this year.

FPSP located and recorded the position of a Tree Geebung.

Then, a community group at its own expense searched in vain for its continued existence.

At least FPSP found this Tree Geebung before it disappeared.

Warburton Environment surveyors also found two more mature trees in the coupe 'Carter's Hat' which weren't found by the FPSP, 'again showing the gross inadequacy of the FPSP'.

As a measure of how brutal 'operational constraints' can be, in the two coupes 'Over Ridge ' and 'Over the Hedge', out of 19 Tree Geebungs detected, 18 had been destroyed. The last one was dead.

Alas, like other threatened species, it is the misfortune of Tree Geebungs to live in the same forests targeted for logging.

Here is a new coupe, 'Fireman Sam', about to be logged. As you can see, it is chock-full of Tree Geebungs. I don't hold much hope for their survival.

Why does this matter? Because like Leadbeaters, this species is unique to Victoria, adapted to its environment, and vulnerable to the effects of climate change.

It is simply not possible to both log these forests and protect vulnerable species. Even if VicForests wanted to.