Tuart Research

Tuart Health Research Group – Partnership with Murdoch University

Partnership in the Tuart Health Research Group (THRG) based at Murdoch University has resulted in many benefits in relation to management of tuart health, including the following outcomes which are directly applicable to the City:

• Identification of successful treatments to mitigate and reverse crown decline of tuart, thereby greatly reducing costs of removal and replanting;
• Identification of treatments to increase the survival and growth of planted tuart resulting in a reduction in the cost of replanting;
• Hosting workshops for community members and council employees to educate them on the causes of tuart decline and provide guidance on how to treat trees;
• A Woodland Decline Symposium held in November 2006 at the Performing Arts Centre, Mandurah, attended by more than 260 delegates opened by the former Minister for the Environment;
• Collaboration with landcare groups within the City to collect and store seed from declining trees within the Yalgorup region, ensuring the long-term survival of a valuable genetic resource;
• Access to the latest scientific information about the causes and management of tuart decline at the regular meetings and via the website; and
• Increased knowledge of the flora and fauna residing in tuart communities within local government reserves.

State Centre of Excellence on Climate change and Woodland and Forest Health

In March 2008 the then Premier Alan Carpenter announced that the State Centre of Excellence on Climate change and Woodland and Forest Health would receive $2.3 million over five years from the Australian Research Council.

In addition to the $2.3 million received from the Australian Research Council, $2.49 million cash and $7.77 million in kind contributions have been committed from 27 collaborating research, industry and institution partners, including a pledge from the City of Mandurah for a contribution of $15,000 per annum for five years [commencing in 2008/09]. The contribution from the City will assist to fund the staff required and the necessary maintenance items to undertake the research.

The four main areas of the research centre will be:

• Climate change, tree, woodland and forest declines;
• Decline ecology;
• Policies and action for woodland and forest restoration; and
• Restoring biodiversity values.

The major focus of the new Centre will be on five of our iconic tree species, the tuart (Eucalyptus gomphocephala), marri (Corymbia calophylla), jarrah (Eucalyptus marginata), wandoo (Eucalyptus wandoo) and peppermint (Agonis flexuosa).

The CCCWFH will investigate the cause(s) and management of decline of tuart, wandoo, marri, jarrah
and peppermint. There are 4 Programs within the Centre:

1. Climate Change, tree, woodland and forest declines;
2. Decline Ecology;
3. Restoring biodiversity values; and
4. Policies and action for woodland.

Community Projects

The City has been actively involved in a number of Tuart Research Projects to trial different treatment methods. This includes the use of the systemic fungicide, phosphite and nutrient stem injections, which have resulted in promising improvements in tuart canopy health. These treatments are applied by injection into the trunks of diseased trees as a treatment, or into healthy trees as a preventative measure. Phosphite appears to stimulate the trees’ natural defences to resist pathogen infection and has the advantages of being reasonably priced, easy to apply, low toxicity to humans and long lasting. If fungal diseases are a part of the tuart decline (syndrome), then injecting phosphite into trees with decline symptoms may arrest or even reverse the decline.

In 2007 Dr Katinka Ruthrof from Murdoch University was joined by devoted members of Mandurah’s Friends of Island Point and Marlee Reserve to plant out trial sites to test the efficacy of various wetting agents and soil conditioners on tuart seedlings. The Groups also assisted in collecting tuart seed from Mandurah reserves. The seeds are used for growing trees for restoration projects as well as being stored by the Forest Products Commission for future use in restoration projects.

In 2008, 20 Mandurah landholders participated in a trial to test a newly identified treatment to boost the health of sick Tuarts. The research involved injecting the trees with the fungicide phosphate and inserting nutrient plugs into the trunk of the tree.

On 9 May 2009, a Tuart Phosphite Injection workshop was held with volunteers. Peter Scott from Murdoch University Tuart Health Research Group spoke about the benefits of phosphite treatments and demonstrated how to load the syringes, drill and screw the syringes into the tree. The volunteers then treated, recorded the location, marked and photographed 22 tuart and jarrah trees. The results will be uploaded onto the City’s mapping system for historical and future research purposes to measure the decline or growth from the phosphite treatment. Further assessment of the trees will be carried out over a 3-5 year period.

Trial sites have also been established at Marlee Reserve, using various methods to determine the most effective regeneration methods.