Assessment Projects
This article is still being developed - a focus on some assessment work to understand the processes of the 1950's and 1960's
North Jamieson Assessment 1959
The Last Job with Pack Horses?
In a discussion in August 2018, Bernie Evans indicated that he thought this assessment was probably the last to be conducted using pack horses.
"The main summer programme comprised assessment surveys of alpine ash forests in the Mt. Misery locality of Omeo forest district, in the vicinity of the Bluff in the headwaters of the North Jamieson river in Mansfield forest district, and in the Mt. Ewen locality near Dargo in Briagolong forest district. These were based on systematic sampling at close intervals and were greatly facilitated by the use of aerial photo interpretation."
Source: FCV Annual Report, 1958/59
Bernie Evans
Annual rport info in here?
In early January 1960, after graduation from VSF in December 1959, Bernie was posted to Assessment Branch. On his first day Murray Paine gave Bernie a train ticket to Orbost. When he arrived in Orbost he was met by Sam Bruton who, at that time was in charge of the crew Bernie was to join. The crew was, at that time, working out of Davies Plain. On the way to Davies Plain they stopped in at the Swifts Office, where to his astonishment, Bernie saw cases of gelignite stored in the DFO’s office.
On the way to Davies Plain they got irretrievably bogged and walked all night to reach the camp the next morning. An exciting start to what turned out to be 3½ years in Assessment , with a lot of that time spent in the north east forests (describe??) where the task was to assess alpine ash stands. The stands had already been identified from aerial photography and mapped in Melbourne, and the task was to determine the sawlog volumes in each stand. The approach was simple – establish a base line from which transects would be run into each stand, with 3chain by 1 chain plots measured every 10 chain. On each plot the dbhob of every tree was recorded, the stand top height measured (two trees of largest diameter) and estimates of sawlog lengths and allowable defect made. Crew of 5-6 people. Camp sites.
The results of this work were important particularly for Benambra where , on the basis of this work, a sawmill was established which operated for more than 20 years. Other wood went north to provide sawlogs into Corryong mills.
Assessing the Buenba, Grassy Knob Country between Buenba and Tom Groggin – A Heislers, Thommo, Peter Murray, Kerry Mayo. Camped right on Buenba Creek.
Beloka range, Buenaba Grassy Knob, Mt Hope. Alpine ash – 20-30 by 30 km. All mature alpine ash.