SOME GOOD NEWS ON THE AUSTRALIAN FIRE FRONT

by Bob Walsh

Fire fighters managed to save the only known stand of Wollemi Pine trees in the world. The trees, often referred to as dinosaur trees, were thought to be extinct until 1994 when this stand of them was found. The species somehow managed to survived the KT event that led to the extinction of the dinosaurs.

Some very careful aerial retardant drops and setting up a dedicated water line did the trick.

The exact location of the stand is kept secret to protect them. There are fewer than 200 of the trees.

The fire has pretty well destroyed 1.26 million acres, including about 90% of the 12,400 acre Wollemi National Park in the Blue Mountains where the trees are located. The fires that have been burning since September have burned more than 25 million acres, mostly in New South Wales. This is larger than the state of Indiana.

EDITOR'S NOTE: The bad news is that they were not able to save untold thousands of Koala bears, wombats,kangaroos and many other species of wildlife.