It has killed many trees that I had planted back in the 70’s and 80’s. By 2010 more than half had died by borer attack.
Now it is coming to the notice of Dr Brookhouse, a forestry specialist at the Australian National University, was the one called to Perisher to investigate why the snow gums were dying.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-03-10/sudden-death-of-snow-gums-longicorn-beetle/13226128?nw=0

It isn’t as if they weren’t always known about as my FiL who was a forester and had lived and worked in forests since he started sleeper cutting in 1930, told me all about them long ago.

It is more that the climate is changing and the ability of trees and predators to hold the balance, is declining quite rapidly.

roughbarked said:

It has killed many trees that I had planted back in the 70’s and 80’s. By 2010 more than half had died by borer attack.
Now it is coming to the notice of Dr Brookhouse, a forestry specialist at the Australian National University, was the one called to Perisher to investigate why the snow gums were dying.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-03-10/sudden-death-of-snow-gums-longicorn-beetle/13226128?nw=0

It isn’t as if they weren’t always known about as my FiL who was a forester and had lived and worked in forests since he started sleeper cutting in 1930, told me all about them long ago.

It is more that the climate is changing and the ability of trees and predators to hold the balance, is declining quite rapidly.

On the Mornington Peninsula, Victoria, the same thing was happening. My impression was birds like tree-creepers were in decline and/or the trunk of the first 1-2 metres became inaccessible to them due to dense vegetation.

You may be interested in Dr Matt Brookhouse’s seminar video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nS_59ts0RVE

_Following reports of isolated tree deaths throughout Kosciuszko National Park in 2007-08, sub-alpine forests in the Australian Alps are now in widespread decline. This phenomenon, known as snow-gum dieback, is associated with infestation by native longicorn beetle larvae that mine the outer xylem and inner phloem of trees, disrupting hydraulic function and carbohydrate flow. Severe infestations lead to complete death of affected trees and stands. The loss of woody overstorey across Australia’s sub-alpine forests would have far-reaching direct and cascading impacts upon all attendant invertebrate and vertebrate populations including threatened species. The niche left by the death of the overstorey would also increase the risk presented by invasive species and have significant hydrologic impacts with far reaching economic consequences.

In this talk, Dr Matthew Brookhouse will outline the current state of knowledge on snow-gum dieback. The talk will focus upon description of the unmistakable symptoms that distinguish dieback and introduce the candidate insect species currently linked to the phenomenon. Drawing upon a phenomenological perspective of forest dieback, the talk will explore current hypotheses on the ultimate drivers of snow-gum dieback. Matthew will also discuss current research activities aimed at understanding both the history and current trajectory of snow-gum dieback.

The large area, and rugged and complex terrain currently affected by dieback means community engagement in ongoing research is essential. Matthew will outline the opportunities for citizen science and the contribution it can make to understanding dieback at a landscape level._

Thanks for the link, Speedy.

I believe that undergrowth is important in the balance.
I’d suggest that it is loss of species of birds and it isn’t only treecreepers but all of the species that do predate upon the larva and the adults.
In addition, long years of lower rainfall and higher temperatures, weaken the resistance of the trees to borer attack.

The imbalance is also apparent in bird species whereby the lack of numbers of certain species leads to birds such as miners pushing other birds out.

SCIENCE said:

http://www.brisbaneinsects.com/brisbane_beetles/Lycidae.htm