• Learning opportunities
• National Forest Learning Centre (NFLC)
• Field Study Sites
  • Wielangta State Forest
  • Southern Forests and WARRA
  • Hollybank
  • Cluan Tiers
• Classroom visits
• Other FEF activities

Wielangta State Forest

The Forest Education Foundation's Project Forest DVD has a wealth of information that can enhance student's appreciation of the ecology, management and history associated with the Wielangta area. The Wielangta Forest covers an area of approximately 37, 500 hectares, has a mixture of land tenures and contains a mosaic of production forest and reserve areas. Wielangta has been a working forest from the early days of timber harvesting to the present day and offers school a range of experiences for exploring forest environments. The Project Forest materials, along with the children's picture book "Postcards From The Town That Disappeared", enable students to gain a broad understanding of the importance of forest environments, the ecology and management of different forest types for a range of purposes and to appreciate the historical context of the early forest industry. An excursion to Wielangta can also include a visit to a working country sawmill

Ecology

The area has excellent examples of dry sclerophyll and wet eucalypt forests. A relict cool temperate rainforest community exists in the Sandspit Forest Reserve within the Wielangta forest. The effects of fire history, rainfall, drainage and aspect on vegetation communities are well illustrated in the area. The diverse ecology in a relatively small area provides excellent opportunities for students to study many aspects of Tasmania's unique ecology in a day visit time frame from Hobart.

Dry sclerophyll forest

Dry sclerophyll forest in the Wielangta State forest.

Wet eucalypt forest.

Wet eucalypt forest in the Wielangta State Forest.

Rainforest in the Wielangta State Forest.

Wielangta State Forest

Remains of an historical mill site in the Wielangta State Forest

History

Wielangta has seen timber harvesting since the early 1900's. Steam operated mills and locomotives, wooden tramways and horses were common in the forest at this time. Timber was transported from the area to a wooden jetty at Rheban on the east coast opposite Maria Island. The remnants of these activities can be found in the forest and offer an ideal opportunity for students to immerse themselves in real history. The Forest Education Foundation has published a children's picture book, "Postcards from the town that disappeared", which is based on the recollections of a man who used to deliver the mail to the area when he was a young boy. This picture book brings the history of the area alive and enables students to make real connections with the past.

Aspects of Aboriginal history as well as the early whalers can also be explored while on a visit to Wielangta.

Forest Management

Wielangta State Forest is managed for a range of purposes. There are extensive reserve systems in the area for the protection of special values such as flora, fauna, water quality, cultural heritage etc. The forests have also been harvested using a range of techniques including clearfalling, selection logging and potential sawlog retention techniques. Eucalypt plantations also form part of the forest mosaic. The close proximity of these different management proscription areas to each other allows ample time for groups to explore them in some detail in a single visit. The influence and role of fire in different forest communities and its use as a management tool can also be explored.