We had a great planting day this year with over 70 volunteers planting 800 snow gum saplings across the resort, including around the Burning Log, up the Norwegian trail and in front of the Blue Cow/Guthega Ski clubs. We also did some maintenance work in some of our previously planted areas, with tree guards coming off the two year old trees and others fixed up to protect the trees a little longer. We weeded and mulched and I am pleased to say that the survival rate is very high! As you can see from the photo attached, the trees are looking strong. We also got feed and watered thanks to Straightline Sports Canberra who once again generously sponsored a BBQ for all the participants.
For 2026, National Parks has ordered us another 400 trees as well has 400 shrubs, so we can start building up the habitat under the snow gums. The planting date has been tentatively set for Saturday the 7th of March 2026.
We have started to look at what more we can do outside planting trees to protect the snow gums, and have a few initiatives kicking off that we would love club and volunteer support with.
Firstly, generated from one of the Blue Cow club members questions at our last tree planting day, what happens if we lose all the old trees (fire or beetle)? Where will we get seed from? Noting the species of gum is unique to Kosciusko (E. pauciflora subspecies niphophilla) this is a concerning thought. We have reached out to the Botanic Gardens and Arboretum in Canberra to ask if they will host a “snow gum noahs ark”. The Botanic Gardens has agreed to plant a 30 tree forest in their new alpine section which is fantastic. This small forest will hopefully start to produce seed in around 10 years (18 to 30 years in the mountains due to the climate) and will also serve to educate people about the destruction the beetle is causing. The Arboretum is considering a much larger plot, and they are meeting at the end of May to discuss this. This is a great example of the value you all bring to this work, not just planting trees.
Now let’s talk about Dr Brookhouse. Dr Brookhouse and his team from the ANU are the best hope at making a real dent in the beetle’s progress. There is a great article here that introduces the problem and some of his work: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-03-10/sudden-death-of-snow-gums-longicorn-beetle/13226128.
He is working on a number of control measures but could really do with the Guthega clubs and volunteer support. Dr Brookhouse and his team have outlined their developing plans for the summer of 2025/2026, when the next generation of longicorn adults will emerge, offering us another shot at understanding their behaviour and identifying possible intervention pathways.
The three key tasks for his team this coming summer;
- Conducting surveys of various insects in currently infested and uninfested areas of the Guthega-Illawong woodlands as well as in the Perisher-Charlotte Pass area.
- Collection of adult longicorn beetles to generate egg masses suited to experiments.
- Monitoring bark moisture content during a wet/dry phase in Jan/Feb 2026.
To carry out these activities, Dr Brookhouse and his team will need to spend weeks up in the mountains.
As we all know, accommodation in expensive so if there is a club is willing to sponsor or provide cheap accommodation for Dr Brookhouse and his team during the summer weeks that would be amazing, and would free up funds for his research. If you can help here, please reach out to me.
There is also an important role for volunteers to play in the observation and capture of the beetles once they emerge, as well as other activities. We will be setting up a volunteer communication portal soon where we can ask for volunteers to help.
Every problem has a solution, together we can solve this one.
Cheers,
Dwy
Guthega Ski Club
