Australian
Screen

Teacher’s notes

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This clip shows old-growth forests in south-eastern Australia and some of the animals that inhabit them. A voice-over narration describes the diversity of the forests, explains that science is only just beginning to understand the complexity of their ecosystems. It warns of the devastating environmental effects of destroying such forests, which have evolved over millions of years. Music and the sounds of the forest accompany the clip.

Educational value points

• The clip warns of the devastation to those Australian forests that are unprotected if Australia continues its current rate of deforestation. Deforestation refers to the clearing of trees from forests for timber, fuel, new settlements or the opening up of new farmland, without the intention of reforesting. Since European settlement large tracts of native vegetation have been cleared. A 2001 study by the Department of Environment and Water Resources, Australian Native Vegetation Assessment, found that approximately 982,000 sq km, or 13 per cent, of native vegetation had been cleared since settlement.

• Old-growth forests are increasingly under threat from logging. In Australia only 13 per cent of native forests are formally protected in nature conservation reserves. The clearing of native vegetation reduces the biodiversity – the range of plants and animals – found in a particular environment. According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, it was estimated in 2000 that the extent of annual native vegetation clearing was 564,000 hectares. This was exceeded by only four other countries, Brazil, Indonesia, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Bolivia. Most recent clearing in Australia has been in Queensland.

• Old-growth forests are defined as ecologically mature forests that have evolved over millions of years, that host a rich diversity of plant and animal life, and where the effects of disturbances are negligible. Old-growth forests are ecosystems that maintain the health and stability of their water cycles, climate regulation, soil production, fertility, protection from erosion, nutrient storage and cycling, and pollutant breakdown and absorption.

• The clip discusses the importance of eucalypt trees in south-eastern Australia, where more than 10 per cent of all rare species of eucalypt are found. Eucalypts are a genus of flowering tree of about 700 species, mainly native to Australia, and are Australia’s most important forest canopy. The New South Wales south-east coast and escarpment area contain the greatest concentration of eucalypt species in Australia. Logging is the major cause of degradation and loss of eucalypt forests.

• The clip features a long tracking shot through the canopy of an old-growth forest, which has the effect of drawing the viewer into the story. The visuals are accompanied by birdsong and a soundtrack that features a soft flute and orchestral music to build up a picture of a peaceful place rich in wildlife. Close-ups of various forest animals support this image and the camera continually returns to views of the vast eucalypts as the central structure on which this ecosystem relies.

• The clip comes from the documentary Paper Trail, the Life and Times of a Woodchip, released in 1991, which examined whether the world’s growing demand for paper can coexist with the protection of its forests. Woodchipping is the grinding of logs into small pieces of wood (chips), and is the first stage in the production of paper. Australia is a major supplier of woodchips to the paper manufacturers of Japan, and woodchipping is a politically sensitive issue as governments attempt to balance the interests of the forestry industry and the environment movement. The film traces the woodchip trade from Australian forests to Japan’s industrial centres and then to factories, shops, consumers and eventually rubbish tips. Although in 2007 this documentary was 16 years old, the issues it examines have grown in relevance.

The clip includes footage of an old growth forest and its animal and plant inhabitants.

Narrator At the current rate of deforestation, Australia’s unprotected forest could be completely cleared within 250 years. The consequences of such a loss are unimaginable.

The old growth forests of the south-east have evolved over millions of years. They are home to more than 230 types of animals and a rich diversity of plants – a unique community dependent upon a delicate chain of relationships which modern science has only just begun to understand.

The south-east forests alone support more than ten per cent of all rare eucalypt species in Australia. Some are trees which survive for centuries and sustain many generations of forest life.