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Cut lump of camphor laurel trunk sprouting (zoom in to centre) (aussie.zone)

submitted 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago) by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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Spotted at my local bushcare group last week. This trunk section has been sitting on the ground for months. The main tree (background) was hacked apart, drilled and poisoned by NSW Forestry, but it's also happily sprouting everywhere again.

Camphor laurels are beautiful, toxic trees that you will see everywhere but sadly they're also weeds. The ground near them tends to be barren, they intentionally poison the soil (allelopathy) to avoid competition. I've been told that they were used to make shipping boxes because their wood resisted insects

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[–] [email protected] 9 points 2 years ago (1 children)

Very cool. It's nice to see original content.

They took the tree down and then drilled the stump? Just spouting on the pieces? Shouldn't come too much. Eucalyptus is another species that also gives it a good crack after cutting.

Usually when we do Privet you can throw the pieces wherever but during the La Nina we had to work through rain constantly and had heaps of cut small-leaved Privet pieces take root.

We took ownership of an old piano and inside was a bag of DDT and Camphor.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 2 years ago (1 children)

Yes they drilled the stump, but the "stump" is something like 5m high. I'll grab some photos next time I'm there.

The bit sprouting in the photo hasn't been poisoned. It's just a chunk of tree left on the ground.

We took ownership of an old piano and inside was a bag of DDT and Camphor.

Nice. Just lazy piano tuners leaving bottles of their cologne everywhere.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 2 years ago (1 children)

Interesting. I can't see any drill marks. When we do it, it's right at the basal area with some drilling on the roots.

If it works, it works.

What's the plan now?

[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 years ago (1 children)

I've been told that we want to keep it in some sort of tortured semi-alive state. I can't remember the reasoning (possibly bird hollows or epiphytes?), I was too blinded by the horror :|

Either ask NSW Foresty to drill and poison it again or see if we can do it ourselves. Not sure how the politics work there, there is probably precedent.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 years ago (1 children)

We leave them standing and drill them as is but thin them out over time. Costs too much to break out the chainsaws too often. Almost everyone can operate a drill, only a couple of us I would trust a chainsaw too.

At home I ringbark them but the visits increase to keep the epicormic growth down.

Drilling is easy. I saw one site the other day where someone had drilled a Tobacco that could have been cut with secateurs. I laughed.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago)

I'll have to share that story, thanks :) I might also suggest my colleagues try rinkbarking some ehrharta.