Thousands of trees in Western Australia’s Margaret River region are being killed by a mysterious disease that will change the face of the area forever.
The magnificent Marri trees – some of which are more than 150 years old – are dying due to a form of tree cancer called Marri canker which slowly kills the trees’ tissue.
Some 80 per cent of Marri trees along Caves Road and Bussell Highway are apparently affected and there are concerns the dead trees will begin to fall and pose a risk to traffic.
The Centre of Excellence for Climate Change, Woodland and Forest Health has launched an investigation into the epidemic.
The Centre’s Director, Giles Hardy, said there was no cure.
“Marri is an iconic tree species in Western Australia, but this cancer is destroying them and therefore the character and beauty of our famous Margaret River wine region is suffering,” Prof Hardy said. “The deaths are impacting on flora and fauna biodiversity in the region. For example, the carnaby’s black cockatoo rely on the Marri’s large fruit, known as honky nuts, for food.”
The PerthNow newspaper revealed in September that large areas of northern jarrah forest in the Perth Hills have also suddenly collapsed and died from drought and may never recover.
Other trees including the Wandoo, Tuart and WA Peppermint have similarly shown severe recent declines, with some of the dead trees between 150 and 200-years-old.
“Driving down the South-West Highway you can see trees are falling, branches are breaking, it’s a very dangerous as well for motorists,” said Dr George Matusick, another researcher from the Centre of Excellence for Climate Change Woodland and Forest Health. “These trees are the lungs of the South-West. They provide us with our clean, fresh air, they provide habitat for our flora and fauna and Western Australians have a huge emotional tie to their native forests.”
And so do the grey nomads and other tourists who regularly visit this wonderful part of the world.
