Post-colonial History of Deforestation in the Kuranda Area
Before European settlement natural events such as cyclones and floods changed the Kuranda landscape. As well, Aboriginal People influenced the landscape by creating tracks, living and cultural areas, and conducted horticultural activities.
Around the late nineteenth century, colonial settlers changed the landscape with dramatic large-scale deforestation projects for timber production, agriculture and the building of the Cairns to Herberton Railway. When experimental crops failed, graziers took over the clearings and introduced fodder for diary herds. This included exotic fire-prone grasses, such as Molasses grass (Melinis minutiflora), Para grass (Brachiaria mutica) and Guinea Grass (Panicum maximum) that spread quickly to dominate not only the paddocks, but also along the adjoining rainforest edges and the gap between the railway and the Barron River (Turner & McMahon 1989). Consequently, hot grass-fires often occurred during the dry season inhibiting much of the emergent rainforest species that pushed through the higher 2-3 m grasses. This allowed for fire-resistant Eucalypts to survive such as Eucalyptus intermedia, E. pellita, E. tereticornis and E. tesselaris and other wet sclerophyll species. During the years that fires were absent, emergent rainforest species such as Acacia polystachya, Albizia procera, A. toona and Alstonia muelleriana had a chance to grow beyond the high grass. These are the dominant species seen around the area today since land developers purchased the failed farmlands and subdivided them for rural residential lots for sale. Tree-changers (those who wanted a lifestyle change) purchased many of the lots but some of them remained vacant and continued to produce re-growth timbers and biodiverse habitats that support fauna, especially abundant and varied bird life.
Around the late nineteenth century, colonial settlers changed the landscape with dramatic large-scale deforestation projects for timber production, agriculture and the building of the Cairns to Herberton Railway. When experimental crops failed, graziers took over the clearings and introduced fodder for diary herds. This included exotic fire-prone grasses, such as Molasses grass (Melinis minutiflora), Para grass (Brachiaria mutica) and Guinea Grass (Panicum maximum) that spread quickly to dominate not only the paddocks, but also along the adjoining rainforest edges and the gap between the railway and the Barron River (Turner & McMahon 1989). Consequently, hot grass-fires often occurred during the dry season inhibiting much of the emergent rainforest species that pushed through the higher 2-3 m grasses. This allowed for fire-resistant Eucalypts to survive such as Eucalyptus intermedia, E. pellita, E. tereticornis and E. tesselaris and other wet sclerophyll species. During the years that fires were absent, emergent rainforest species such as Acacia polystachya, Albizia procera, A. toona and Alstonia muelleriana had a chance to grow beyond the high grass. These are the dominant species seen around the area today since land developers purchased the failed farmlands and subdivided them for rural residential lots for sale. Tree-changers (those who wanted a lifestyle change) purchased many of the lots but some of them remained vacant and continued to produce re-growth timbers and biodiverse habitats that support fauna, especially abundant and varied bird life.