More trees? Yes please!

Have you looked straight up into the canopy of a forest recently? There is so much to see. Learn more about what’s growing in Australia’s forests and why trees are important to us, to animals and to each other.

Three of Australia’s iconic trees – the Eucalypts, Figs and Macadamias populate our forests across the country. Explore the connections that trees have to other living things, investigate the ways that these trees survive against threats and discover the best conditions to grow these trees for the future.

Curriculum Links

Stage 2 Geography

Examines features and characteristics of places and environments - GE2-1
Describes the ways people, places and environments interact - GE2-2
Examines differing perceptions about the management of places and environments - GE2-3
Acquires and communications geographical information using geographical tools for inquiry - GE2-4

 Skills  

Acquiring geographical information

Develop geographical questions to investigate - ACHGS019, ACHGS026
Collect and record relevant geographical data and information, for example, by observing, by interviewing, conducting surveys, or using maps, visual representations, the media or the internet - ACHGS020, ACHGS027

Processing geographical information

Represent data by constructing tables, graphs and maps - ACHGS021, ACHGS028
Represent information by constructing large-scale maps that conform to cartographic conventions, using spatial technologies as appropriate - ACHGS022, ACHGS029
Interpret geographical data to draw conclusions - ACHGS023, ACHGS030

Communicating geographical information

Present findings in a range of communication forms, for example, written, oral, digital, graphic, tabular and visual, and use geographical terminology - ACHGS024, ACHGS031
Reflect on their learning to propose individual action in response to a contemporary geographical challenge and identify the expected effects of the proposal -ACHGS025, ACHGS032

General Capabilities

Teacher Resources

Sensory activity safety:

Before smelling or tasting a plant, ask if any participants have hay fever / asthma / allergies
Only smell or taste a plant that has been identified as safe
Wash hands after each outdoor activity

Further reading for Teachers

“Euc Beut! A tribute to an Aussie icon” Eucalypts have had a significant role in shaping our history, culture, landscape and even childhood memories.
“Kids connect with an Aussie icon” Apart from National Eucalyptus Day, there aren’t many opportunities to talk about the humble gum tree.
“Revisiting our super hero trees for National Tree Day” At the Royal Botanic Garden Sydney, there are nearly 4000 trees, but some have reached a higher ‘celebrity’ status than others.
“Nuts about Macadamias” Macadamia trees are a pollinator’s dream with thousands of long, pale pink inflorescences covering every branch.
“Strangle or be strangled: The harsh reality of figs” In the canopy of a declining turpentine tree, the roots of four baby strangler figs will start to grow and strangle its host tree to death as part of a new horticultural experiment.

Did you know?

Koalas are fussy eaters, preferring only a few of the over 800 species of Eucalypts!'

Eucalypt plantations all over the world totals well over 20 million hectares:

India - over 3.9 million hectares, 22% of world eucalypt plantation acreage
Brazil – over 3.7 million hectares, 20% of world eucalypt plantation acreage
China – over 2.6 million hectares 14% of world eucalypt plantation acreage
Australia - by contrast only 5% of world eucalypt plantation acreage

Australia has 101 million hectares of natural eucalypt forest, and the total land area of Australia is 7.692 million square kilometres or 769,200,000 hectares.

Access the Department Of Agriculture, Water and Environment webpage to view maps such as the one below showing the extent of eucalypt growth in 2018.