3.2 Senescence
In addition to potential nest trees being lost to firewood, many of the old Red Gums are simply falling down, owing to their age. Many specimens were ringbarked in the 1920s and ‘30s and are now so rotten that they are toppling over. This problem would be reduced if there had been regeneration of seedlings to replace them, but invariably the surrounding land use has been grazing, which has prevented this.
Quantification of this threat is not possible at this stage.

3.3 Appearance/Tidiness
Interviews with farmers in the area frequently reveal that the reason for removing dead trees is “to clean the place up” and has little, if anything, to do with monetary returns. Figure 12 supports this contention; much old timber is simply knocked down, piled and burnt.

Figure 12. “Tidying Up”: Red Gum Heaps Waiting to be Burnt

Q.41 Is tidiness viewed as a virtue in the wider community? Why is the Australian bush often perceived as untidy? How could the perception of tidiness - equating with efficiency/professionalism - be modified for farmers with dead timber on their properties?