Question

Until widespread clearing of land began after 1861, the Tweed Valley, from the beach dunes to the mountains, was covered by dense wetland forests and rainforest. The rainforest had plenty of red cedar, which grew along the river banks and over the floodplains and foothills. Some of these trees were huge, up to sixty metres tall and as much as two thousand years old. Cedar was highly valued for its light weight, rich pink to red colours and interesting grain patterns. The tall trees provided magnificent lengths for the mills. Much early Australian furniture was made from cedar. The timber of the Tweed Valley was felled close to the river banks and then was tied and floated downstream to the river mouth for shipping to the big cities. The river provided the only means of removing the timber, because the felled trees were so bulky. By the 1870s, the cedar industry was in decline. Land cleared for farming was on the increase and easily obtainable, and large cedar trees were becoming scarce. It was purely an extractive industry, which put nothing back. Given that many original trees were thousands of years old, it would have been hundreds of years before the plantings could have been harvested in any case.

Answer 1

Answer:

Until widespread clearing of land began after 1861, the Tweed Valley, from the beach dunes to the mountains, was covered by dense wetland forests and rainforest. The rainforest had plenty of red cedar, which grew along the river banks and over the floodplains and foothills. Some of these trees were huge, up to sixty metres tall and as much as two thousand years old. Cedar was highly valued for its light weight, rich pink to red colours and interesting grain patterns. The tall trees provided magnificent lengths for the mills. Much early Australian furniture was made from cedar.

The timber of the Tweed Valley was felled close to the river banks and then was tied and floated downstream to the river mouth for shipping to the big cities. The river provided the only means of removing the timber, because the felled trees were so bulky.