Ok, a short lesson in SA industry. There are squillions of hectares* of pine plantations in South Australia which are government owned and managed. They supply jobs to the SA people and provide "diversity" to the area (not sure what that means).
The first trees were planted in the early 1900s on less than 3 hectares of land, and today it is a major source of income to the state. You will observe some trucks carry the sticker "Do Not Privatise SA's Forests" so I'm not sure what the story is there. Anyway.
The trees are planted very closely together so that each tree fights for sunlight, encouraging fast vertical growth. Some trees will be allowed to grow for up to 30 years! A typical pine tree is worth $300 in the ground, or over $1,000 once sawn, so it is a valuable resource and no fires of any type are allowed in the vicinity. It takes approximately 3 mature trees to build a standard 3 bedroom home.
A very peaceful stop, no sound other than faraway highway traffic, and the area in which we camped was full of little withered flowers which looked all but dead in the afternoon, then bloomed bright yellow at dusk and into the evening, closing again when the morning sun touched them.
*slight exaggeration
The first trees were planted in the early 1900s on less than 3 hectares of land, and today it is a major source of income to the state. You will observe some trucks carry the sticker "Do Not Privatise SA's Forests" so I'm not sure what the story is there. Anyway.
The trees are planted very closely together so that each tree fights for sunlight, encouraging fast vertical growth. Some trees will be allowed to grow for up to 30 years! A typical pine tree is worth $300 in the ground, or over $1,000 once sawn, so it is a valuable resource and no fires of any type are allowed in the vicinity. It takes approximately 3 mature trees to build a standard 3 bedroom home.
A very peaceful stop, no sound other than faraway highway traffic, and the area in which we camped was full of little withered flowers which looked all but dead in the afternoon, then bloomed bright yellow at dusk and into the evening, closing again when the morning sun touched them.
*slight exaggeration
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