Jack Putz has been studying climbing vines for 50 years since developing a fascination with jungle films and books in his childhood. The professor of biology, from University of the Sunshine Coast, has co-authored a study showing vine control could help improve the health of trees in forests and increase their carbon uptake.
“The idea for this research stemmed from rainy Saturday afternoons watching Tarzan movies with my father, and just wondering about how Tarzan would swing through the canopy,” Professor Putz said.
He said while the impact of vines on trees was well-known, the new research showed the benefits of controlling them in a targeted way.
“We could both increase timber yields from forests that are managed for timber, and increase rates of carbon uptake from the atmosphere, which is a goal of people all over the world, to mitigate the effects of climate change,” Professor Putz said.
The paper, to be published in international peer-reviewed journal Forest Ecology and Management in July, also involved researchers from the University of Florida, The Nature Conservancy, Conservation International, Eastwood Forests in the United States and the Science for Sustainability in Central America. The study found that removing woody vines, also known as lianas, from five to 10 trees per hectare was a cost-effective way to increase timber yields while also increasing the absorption of carbon by the liberated trees.
“It’s only a partial solution, and we have to stop burning so much fossil fuel,” Professor Putz said.
“But in the meantime, we need to depend on nature to help us to solve this massive global problem.
“And it needs to be done in an environmentally friendly, socially acceptable and financially feasible manner.”
