Locals alarmed as Queensland haven to rare tree species to be sold off by CSIRO

The arboretum was closed to the public in October last year and is being 'vacated in preparation for divestment'Get our morning and afternoon news emails, free app or daily news podcastThere's an ancient cousin of the eucalypts, Stockwellia quadrifida, found only on Queensland's highest mountain, Bartle Frere. Podocarpus dispermus, a Gondwanan conifer whose bright red berries are spread by cassowaries and musky rat-kangaroos. And Ficus crassipes, a banana fig that starts life as a seedling in the rainforest canopy then sends its roots cascading to the ground.They're among 500 mature trees at far north Queensland's Atherton Arboretum, a CSIRO-owned haven to rare species from the nearby wet tropics, Cape York, the Gulf of Carpentaria and the Northern Territory.Sign up for Guardian Australia's free morning and afternoon email newsletters for your daily news roundup Continue reading...