650-year-old Huon pine discovered on river bank

One of the largest Huon pine logs in living memory has been recovered from a riverbank in
Tasmania’s south.

The Huon pine began life as a seedling in a remote rainforest in the time before Christopher Columbus made his voyage to America. It met its demise and was washed into the swollen Huon River during the wild weather that lashed Tasmania last winter.

When the floodwaters eventually receded, the fallen tree was brought to rest on the banks of the Huon, where it was recently discovered by a group of keen-eyed rafters.

District Forest Manager Mike Farrow said that it is the biggest Huon pine log many local foresters can remember seeing.

“The log has been measured at 13.75 cubic metres, which is bigger than any Huon pine log recovered in recent times. Without counting growth rings, its size alone leads us to estimate that it must be at least 650 years old.”

Huon pines are renowned not only for their fine timber, but for being one of the longest-lived species on Earth. These slow-growing trees have been known to live for up to 3,000 years, a lifespan that is rivalled only by the North American bristle-cone pine. One stand of Huon pines, on Mount Read in Tasmania’s west, is known to have been regenerating vegetatively for over 10,000 years.


Mr Farrow said that the log’s location in a streamside reserve meant that special care had to be taken in planning the salvaging operation.

“We sought advice from the Forest Practices Authority, and developed a special Forest Practices Plan to ensure that all the appropriate measures taken to protect the surrounding forest while the log was being recovered.”


The log is currently being stored in a secure location while careful consideration is given to a fate fitting for this exceptional specimen.



Huon pines are a fire-sensitive species that grow mainly in the isolated west and south west of Tasmania, where they are protected within the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area.

However, one of the most accessible places to view this iconic Tasmanian tree just an hour and twenty minutes south of Hobart, at the Tahune AirWalk.

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