| Early in Australia's history, the new settlers discovered cedar trees. This tall rainforest tree has beautiful red timber and they soon discovered it was good for making furniture. It was considered so valuable it was called 'red gold.' In the beginning cedar was cut from beside the rivers and floated down to nearby ships. Many of these trees have been cut down and today there are few cedar trees left. Cedar trees grow very slowly and take a hundred years to reach their full height. They are usually tall and straight, without any branches near the ground. Instead they have a dense canopy or layer of leaves at the top. Let's hope that the government decides to preserve these trees for future generations. | |
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