The pencil pine (Athrotaxis cupressoides) is a much loved and wonderfully charismatic tree of the Tasmanian mountains where it is largely restricted to sub-alpine areas above 800 metres. It is one of the Gondwanan species – dating back to the times of the Gondwana super continent – and often grows around tarns, streams and lakes because of its intolerance to fire. Pencil pines can reach ages in excess of 1,200 years, but have little chance of recovery after a fire.
It is hard to imagine the mountains of lutruwita without these wonderful trees.
I recently got the chance to visit some of my favourite pencils pines, in the northern section of the Cradle Mountain Lake St Clair national park. In a warming world of ever greater fires, it is always a relief to see them thriving.
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