Friends of the Box-Ironbark Forests

Air pollution problem? Here’s an interesting answer

Posted on 16 July, 2017 by fobif

What is four metres square, alive, and can reduce as much air pollution as 275 trees?

Answer: a Citytree, ‘a vertical structure filled with moss cultures and other vascular plants that clean pollution from the air. The structure also contains sensors that are able to control all the moss cultures in real time, to let operators know if they have enough of water, nutrients and salt.’ Citytrees are being installed in Berlin and other places as part of a range of solutions to air pollution.

We don’t have them in Castlemaine, but we do have plenty of moss on our streets, at least in the cooler part of the year.

Street Moss is the subject of an exhibition about to open at Falkner Gallery, 35 Templeton Street, Castlemaine this week. The exhibition opening is on this Saturday (22 July) between 2 and 4 pm and the show runs from 20 July to 3 September 2017. The gallery is open each week between 11 am and 4 pm, Thursday to Sunday.

Moss Grid, Castlemaine. Bernard Slattery, 2017

Templeton Street gutter, Castlemaine. Photo by Bronwyn Silver, 2016

Parker Street footpath, Castlemaine. Photo by Bronwyn Silver 2016

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FOBIF AGM coming up

Posted on 3 July, 2017 by fobif

The 2017 FOBIF AGM is on at 7.30, 10 July 2017 in the Ray Bradfield Rooms. Guest speaker will be Brian Bainbridge from the Merri Creek Management Committee. All are welcome and you can find out all about it here.

If you would like to join our committee, forms are available here.

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Still time to be part of FOBIF TOGS exhibition

Posted on 3 July, 2017 by fobif

The selection criteria are very broad for this year’s TOGS Cafe exhibition, Mountains and Waterways. All photos submitted that are taken around water and mountains in our region will be included on our Flickr site and considered for the exhibition. The closing date for photos is 1 August 2017. To find out more, see our earlier post or contact Bronwyn on 54751089.

We have included some sample photos below.

Black-fronted Dotterel. Cairn Curran. Photo by Geoff Park, 29 October 2014

Picnic Point, Cairn Curran. Photo by Geoff Park, 28 Feb 2017

Columbine Creek. Photo by Bronwyn Silver, 21 January 2017

Mount Alexander. Photo by Bernard Slattery, 26 July 2012

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Winter–and a backward look

Posted on 3 July, 2017 by fobif

So it’s been the driest June on record around much of Victoria. Castlemaine weather station recorded 7 mls of rain for the month, compared to long term average of 56 mls. The previous lowest June rainfall was 13 mls in 1969. And it’s been pretty bleak into the bargain—rather too many grey but unproductive days.

There are interesting bright spots, however. For a few weeks now, large areas along Porcupine Ridge have been blooming with extensive stands of Woolly Wattle [Acacia lanigera]: quite a spectacular sight from the Ridge road:

The wattle season is on: dense Acacia lanigera regrowth along the Loop Track, July 3. It’s very beautiful, but casts doubt over the effectiveness of severe ‘fuel reduction’ burns.

Wattle stands in this area are dense and up to nearly two metres high—impossible to negotiate with any ease. Interestingly, this area was the recipient of a very severe DSE fuel reduction exercise in 2011–supposedly a ‘mosaic burn’– in which large areas of the fire zone were reduced to ash, and numerous big trees killed. Recovery has been patchy, with some areas showing good species regeneration. On the whole, however, it’s hard to escape the conclusion that this ‘reduction’ exercise has actually increased the fuel load. Dense shrub and tree regrowth has replaced tussock woodland, and the area is definitely harder to negotiate on foot than the adjacent unburnt areas.

Loop Track, November 2010: DSE’s fuel reduction exercise looked like a bushfire, and its long term effectiveness is doubtful.

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FOBIF AGM update

Posted on 26 June, 2017 by fobif

As outlined in a previous post, this year’s FOBIF AGM will be held at 7.30, July 10 in the Ray Bradfield Rooms. Details including how to nominate for the FOBIF Committee can be found here. Supper will be served and everyone is welcome.

Our speaker will be Brian Bainbridge, Ecological Restoration Planner, Merri Creek Management Committee. His topic will be Single species – many outcomes.

Single species conservation projects can have wide-ranging benefits when pursued in a holistic manner. Projects to secure local populations of Matted Flax Lily and Plains Yam Daisy have led Merri Creek Management Committee to build a deeper understanding of the Merri Creek’s changing ecology and the potential for landscape-scale conservation. The projects have stimulated fresh approaches to engaging with community.