Australian Capital Territory
Canberra & Southern Tablelands
New South Wales
Canberra & Southern Tablelands
Posted by Steve818
Overview of the Big Eucalypts project
This is a collection of the largest individuals of different Eucalypt tree species (Eucalyptus, Corymbia & Angophora) in Canberra. The collection complements exisitng big and giant Eucalypt collections on citizen science platforms in other parts of the country.
Why are big Eucalypts important? They support a diverse range of other species. Big Eucalypts often contain multiple tree hollows for hollow dependent fauna. More than 300 species of Australian native animals use tree hollows for shelter and breeding, including iconic birds such as black cockatoos. Big Eucalypts are major carbon stores both in wood volume and root biomass.
How big is ‘Big’?
The threshold trunk girth and/or height for a big Eucalypt varies with the species. So the best approach to decide whether you have found a big individual is to compare it to those of the same species in this collection, or in the national databases of big and giant Eucalypts:
Dr Dean Nicolle’s collection of giant Eucalypts (includes herbarium voucher numbers) - https://inaturalist.ala.org.au/observations?project_id=213954&place_id=any&verifiable=any&captive=any&user_id=dnicolle
Y.D Bar-Ness’s collection of giant Eucalypts https://inaturalist.ala.org.au/observations?project_id=213954&user_id=yoavdanielbarness&verifiable=any
Giant Tree Expeditions - https://giant-trees.com/
National Register of Big Trees - https://www.nationalregisterofbigtrees.com.au
The Largest Trees in Australia - https://reporter.anu.edu.au/all-stories/why-tasmania-and-victoria-dominate-the-list-of-australias-largest-trees-and-why-these-majestic-giants-are-under-threat
Monumental Trees in Australia - https://www.monumentaltrees.com/en/aus/gd1
Big and Famous Trees Gallery - https://www.dn.com.au/Big_Famous_Trees_gallery/Big_Famous_Trees_gallery.html
Tasmania's Giant Eucalypts - https://www.publish.csiro.au/BT/BT23088
The Western Australia Giant Trees project - https://www.westernaustraliagianttrees.com
Tasmania's Giant Trees - https://tasmaniasgianttrees.weebly.com
Victoria's Giant Trees - https://victoriasgianttrees.weebly.com
Giant Trees of Tasmania https://tasmaniangeographic.com/giant-trees-of-tasmania-an-introduction/
TrustTrees - https://www.trusttrees.org.au/
Native Eucalypts of Victoria and Tasmania - https://dn.com.au/Native_Eucalypts_of_Victoria_and_Tasmania.html
The Trees Project - https://www.thetreeprojects.com
How to contribute
The collection relies on trunk circumference, i.e. trunk girth, because measurement of height requires specialised equipment (clinometer, laser range finder, or LiDAR).
Ensure that trunk girth is measured 1.4m above the ground to avoid the effect of the buttress on the measurement.
If height has been measured then record the height in the notes or comments along with the measurement method.
To add your big Eucalypt sighting to this project select the star icon at the top right of the sighting and select the Big Eucalypts of Canberra collection name.
