Help please - Macrocarpa trees Tasmania

Hi all, I'm desperately seeking advice about macrocarpa trees, we have a number on our property that are apparently around 100 years old. It's a family property and someone has convinced my grandad the trees are getting to the end of their lifespan.

They do have some dead branches which they drop occasionally but I don't believe they are anything to worry about and certainly don't need to be cut down which he is organising to have done very soon.

I can't find any information online to suggest they become a danger at 100 years old. Does anyone know anything about this? Some are along the roadside and council trim them regularly away from the power lines so I would assume if they considered there to be a risk someone would contact us? I have a feeling whoever told him they should come down will profit from it.

Hi Megan -

Welcome to permies! We're over here across the ditch and in my region all the big old macrocarpas are coming down everywhere you turn. The main things driving it here are dairy farmers not wanting them, because if cows eat the foliage they can abort, and just the general mindset that old trees need to come down :-( As a result, some of the sawmills that used to work this timber are shutting down and it's getting hard to find sawn macrocarpa (but there still seems to be plenty for sale as firewood...what a waste). I try to use it instead of treated timber wherever possible. Needless to say, the value of good-sized standing trees is going up all the time, and that is probably the case where you are as well. I don't know what level of commercial planting has been underway, but there is lots of Leyland cypress grown in the central plateau.

100 years is probably middle age for these trees in our climate. 200-250 looks to be the lifespan in their native habitat, but given the way they grow in NZ I wouldn't be surprised if they can get much older in a good location. If you're not grazing cows and look after them, they shouldn't have or cause any problems. Maybe you could talk him into just harvesting one every five years for milling, provided he plants more for your grandkids. They're pretty amazing trees.

Hi Phil, thank you for your response, that's given me a good bit of info to take back to him. I will try and talk to him about it again as originally it was just the one he wanted cut down because it's on a bit of a lean but the ones along the drive are supposedly the only ones that are straight enough for the timber to be any good and by the sounds of it he was told he could get the cost of having them removed back in the price of the timber. I will point out the fact that an old friend kindly removed and disposed of some previously as a favour to him by telling him they are pretty much worthless and not even good for burning which he has since learned is utter rubbish so perhaps he has been misinformed again. I am concerned by the effect of wind on the property if they are removed as it's already quite an issue though infrequently due to the direction. We do have a neighbour who puts his cows in with the ones in the paddock which resulted in an aborted calf. I have been trying to convince him of the necessity to plant more trees, we currently have a good 10 acres plus of just grass which our neighbour very kindly controls for us. I'm hoping to learn about regenerative agriculture and start putting the land to good use!

We have lots of these here in ireland--montery cypress---rare in its native homeland ---they do get very big here and at the maybe 50 to 100 year size become a problem as they are fragile /brittle and in our high wind storms large portions of trunks split away ---almost all our large ones around in the county have had major tree surgery to lop off the side branches and in the end most are felled because of safety issues.many were planted to close to homes---in its native home its a much smaller wind torn bent over small tree . Does make good enough timber and has that fragrant smell ,floor boards and roof shingles if you can get good straight stuff , its mostly burnt in wood stoves --not because its the best but because its that or sitka and the odd poplar , pine or ash we can scrounge.