General News
30 January, 2026
Barry's Corner: Shady tree needed
A shady tree or a good air cooler is needed these past few days because it is easy to get cooked by the sun when you are out in the bush with the binoculars bird watching.
Sometimes it can be hard to find good shade because some of the eucalypts will turn the leaves side-on to avoid the heat of the sun.
It is one of the survival tactics evolved by these hardy, long-lived species.
Another survival tactic is a wide network of feeder roots spiralling out from the main tree stump, some quite shallow.
This allows the Mallee tree the ability to absorb any moisture, which can be intermittent at the best of times.
The small store of water in these Mallee Eucalypts was often tapped by First Nation people when water was really scarce.
This stump is actually the trunk where it stabilises the branches to the ground, only the branches and leaves are visible above the surface.
These usually suffer in a bushfire, but if the stump is not impacted, it will respond and throw out shoots in a short time and before long the new growth looks like forest again.
Stumps are popular as a domestic heat source.
You get warm twice: picking them in the paddock and warm in the home fire.
There are good examples of ancient mallee stumps to be found in various museums such as Ouyen, Pinnaroo and others.
Stumps can grow to an enormous size and take some effort if they need to be dug out of the ground.
If the tall forests can grow many multiples of metres over many decades, the Mallee stump may have grown for just a similar time frame and all the energy goes into the stumps and survival.
Red gums can be a large impressive tree but there is a risk of using them as a shade because the tree can drop heavy branches without warning and create a real danger to animals, wildlife and humans.
Among the tree species that provide decent shade is the Callitris pine which should be grown more widely as a Landcare tree.
The Callitris can be grown, not only for shade, but as a windbreak and for wildlife considerations.
There are many areas in this region that are suitable for Callitris such as the light sandy soils and the sandy dunes.
In this situation these trees help keep the soil down.