A guide showing a tourist the unique qualities of a myrtle...

BRUNY ISLAND, TASMANIA, AUSTRALIA - 2003/01/01: A guide showing a tourist the unique qualities of a myrtle rain forest on Bruny Island in southern Tasmania. Native to only Tasmania and sometimes living for several thousand years, the spindly Myrtle is considered an exotic species. The trees' red, high quality wood is widely used for handicraft products. Renowned for its vast wilderness areas and unique timbers, Tasmania's old growth forests are quickly dissappearing- sold as woodchips to Japan and Korea. Although it is illegal to chip myrtle and other exclusive timbers in Tasmania, destructive methods of clear felling see a large percentage of the otherwise expensive wood sold as woodchips. \Eco tourism is also popular on the island, marketing wilderness as an alternative to industry. (Photo by Leisa Tyler/LightRocket via Getty Images)