Even the hardy eucalypts are finding their limits as we experience more frequent bushfires, heatwaves and droughts
Last week I went to Adelaide to see a man about a tree. The man was Dr Dean Nicolle and the tree was actually 10,000 eucalypt trees and mallees, of over 800 species, which Dean has been planting on a block of land south of Adelaide since 1993. Dean's passion for eucalypts is incredible. It makes me realise that so much conservation happens purely because someone is just absolutely captivated by something. And thank goodness Dean is, because his love for the eucalypt made the Currency Creek Arboretum, which is designed to bring together all of Australia's eucalypt species in one place for research. During my visit, I'm taken aback by the beige-brown landscape, and how the grass crunches like cornflakes underfoot. South Australia is in the grip of its worst drought in 40 years. Dean is conducting drought studies on his trees, about a third of which are dying, or have curled up and died in the last few months. He says he's noticed the drought has particularly affected the stringybarks in the Adelaide Hills. View image in fullscreen Illustration: Jess Harwood/The Guardian As a communications professional working in climate media for years, I am used to reading terrible climate news but this hits different. There is something about seeing trees dry out and turn brown, with bark splitting and leaves desiccating, that makes my insides knot. I feel like there's a…