Prehistoric pines survive Australia bushfires

Video Credit: Reuters Studio
Published on January 15, 2020 - Duration: 01:01s

Prehistoric pines survive Australia bushfires

Australia's Wollemi Pines survived the dinosaurs, and now firefighters have nursed them through the country's worst bushfires in generations to live another day.

Emer McCarthy reports.


Prehistoric pines survive Australia bushfires

When seen from above - amongst acres of charred, native forest - there's a thin trail of green.

Australia's prehistoric Wollemi Pines, live to see another day - saved from the grips of the country's devastating bushfires.

The pines outlived the dinosaurs but faced one of their greatest threats this season, as 27 million acres of land were razed across the country.

As fire approached, firefighters were winched in by helicopter to activate irrigation systems, while other aircraft dropped water and retardant along the flames' edge to minimize their impact.

And what a narrow escape it was.

The giant trees were thought to be extinct until 1994, when authorities found 200 of them in a national park near the Blue Mountains north-west of Sydney.

Their location had previously been kept secret to protect them from contamination.

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