Thursday, September 11, 2008

Pick out the Red Cedars from afar.


Toona ciliata
Family: MELIACEAE
Our district’s most famous timber tree, the red cedar was always the first to be cut out of an area, often cut by specialist cedargetters who took no interest in any other type of tree.

The cedars are easy to find in spring. Having lost their leaves in winter, they put out a characteristic flush of new red leaves at this time of year. They can be distinguished from the general green of the rainforest canopy, and targeted from far away.
We can still pick them out, both in our suburbs and in the bush, in the same way. The technique is sometimes used by modern thieves, often woodwork hobbyists, who see nothing wrong in plundering the public estate for their own personal use. Sadly roadside red cedars are likely to disappear mysteriously. This is such a pity. The grand trees of which should be our children's heritage are often made into trivial bits of "woodwork" valued for a few years then discarded.

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