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. This video footage provides a unique historical perspective of the canopy crane installation from the view of the helicopter. Photographs of the installation are 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).