The logging orgy before we were born

The felling of the giant sequoias in California’s Sierra Nevada mountains in the late 19^th century has been described as “the greatest orgy of destructive lumbering in the history of the world” (Johnson) However the felling of Australia’s giant Red Cedar (Toona ciliata) forests along the south coast of New South Wales from the first colonisation of Sydney in 1788 was similarly devastating. It was the main original conflict of Aboriginal communities with the English settlers. Today the extent of the devastation and its ongoing effects are not well enough known. The Red Cedar old growth forests were a brake against explosive eucalyptus bushfires and promoted a cooler ecosystem for animals and humans during summer periods.