Canopy Crane Installation Photographs

James Cook University (1998) Canopy Crane Installation Photographs. [Photo Album]

Track to crane
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Fiona Barron inspecting base concrete weights
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Fiona Barron inspecting concrete foot pads for crane
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Dirt track to crane site from Cape Tribulation Road
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Nigel Stork and Fiona Barron on site viewing the crane
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Helicopter carrying a load on a long line
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Jib installed on the crane
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Helicopter lowering parts on to the crane
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View to the top of the crane from the base
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Riggers fitting the final parts at the top of the crane
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Riggers on the jib
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View to the top of the crane from the base
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Crane parts out laid out near the helicopter
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Crane jib ready to be lifted
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Bill Jones (Morrow), Fiona Barron and Nigel Stork with model of crane
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Erected crane
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Fiona Barron standing on some of the concrete ballast weights
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Lift box (gondola)
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Nigel Stork on site where crane parts were ready to be lifted
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Crane ready for use
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Nigel Stork and Norman Palmer at the base of the crane
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Nigel Stork, Bert Stork and Norman Palmer in gondola
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Gondola above the canopy
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Crane parts out laid out near the helicopter
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View of the erected crane from above the forest
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View of the helicopter on the ground and crane parts laid out
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Crane parts
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Helicopter hovering above crane
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Jib installed on the crane
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Fiona Barron standing on the track at the entrance to the forest
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The four concrete base pads for the canopy crane
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Track to crane
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Summary

In November 1998 the canopy crane at the Daintree Rainforest Observatory was carefully installed piece by piece using a helicopter operated by Hevilift, with the project overseen by Professor Nigel Stork. These 36 photographs provide an historical record of the installation. Video footage of the installation is also available from the Related Links.

The canopy crane is a Liebherr 91EC freestanding construction tower crane. It is 47 metres tall, and has a radius of 55 metres. With this span the crane provides comprehensive access to 1 hectare of rainforest. It was the first canopy crane to be installed in the southern hemisphere, and is the only canopy crane located in Australian rainforest.

The forest canopy is the point at which the atmosphere meets the biosphere. It is where photosynthetic processes take place and, not surprisingly, where most biotic interactions occur. Perhaps as much as half of all biodiversity on Earth is to be found in tropical rainforests, and a large proportion of this biodiversity is located in the canopy itself.

With the installation of the canopy crane in the rainforest at the Daintree Rainforest Observatory, Australia has a unique national research facility capable of providing vital information on the processes occurring in the rainforest and the responses of this ecosystem to human induced climate change. Use of the canopy crane can be booked through the Daintree Rainforest Observatory, for researchers and teaching groups (see Related Links).

Additional Information

James Cook University Library thanks Professor Nigel Stork for supplying the images presented in this record.

Copyright Information

References

Professor Nigel Stork has written an article on the Canopy Crane, which references the photographs in this record, available from the Related Links.

Stork, N. E. (2021). The Daintree Canopy Crane: Conception, installation and operation. Proceedings of The Royal Society of Queensland, 129, 79–90. https://doi.org/10.53060/prsq.2021.6

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