One man clears 260km of rainforest track behind Cairns after cyclone Yasi

Check out this great story on ABC Far North blogs:   Pat Shears is clearing rainforest tracks covered in fallen trees and overgrown weeds behind Cairns and Townsville.  This is a massive job and tough work.  Just one  of many unsung heroes getting the Cassowary coast region back in shape after cyclone Yasi.  Cutting through trees even 30cm thick is tough work but some of these are up to 1 metre.  Wow!
Read more about what's happening in Cairns at Cairns News
Read the full blog post at http://blogs.abc.net.au/queensland/2011/06/one-man-cleans-260kms-of-cyclone-damaged-rainforest.html
Excerpt and video below

Cassowary Coast Recovery

One man cleans 260km's of cyclone damaged rainforest

23 June 2011 , 1:31 PM by Philip Staley

Cairns region Rainforest recovery Pat Shears (right) doesn't mind a stroll through the rainforests of Far North Queensland. Especially with a chainsaw.

Since Cyclone Yasi hit Mr Shears, a former Cape York Ranger and now a conservation volunteer for the Australian Wildlife Conservancy has trekked, by his estimations nearly 260km's clearing fallen trees and and clearing weeds from hiking trails in the mountains behind Cairns and Townsville.

His current project is to clear the beautiful bird watching and tourist trail, the 'Ho Chi Minh' trail near Julaten, FNQ. That's about 40km's of trails and for just one bloke to be carving through fallen tree's with a diametre of about 1 metre, that's some hard work. And Pat does it as a volunteer.

Click on the link below to hear Pat's remarkable story and how he lead's ABC Recovery Reporter Phil Staley through the bush about 15km west of Port Douglas.