PlantFiles: Huon Pine
Lagarostrobos franklinii

The Huon Pine is a magnificent tree, growing only in Tasmania in Australia. It grows along river courses in the wetter south-western quarter of the island. The trees have been overexploited over the years, because the timber is one of the very best for boat-building having a natural resistance to rot. Mature trees are very old. A mature tree was found growing over the trunk of a long dead tree and core samples were taken from both trees. Both trees were in excess of 2000 years old and it must be assumed that the fallen one fell before the live tree started to grow. That means that the core of the fallen tree dated back 4000 years and the wood was apparently still in good condition. Because of the past exploitation, mature trees are not common now, but there are large numbers of small trees growing, particularly along the banks of the Gordon river. It is however a very slow growing tree and these young trees will not be harvestable within a human lifetime. We have obtained seedlings from Tasmania, and planted them in an arboretum of Australian conifers in a local Park. If they get established I will photograph them as they develop.