SCLEROPHYLL FORESTS AND WOODLANDS © WET ......Eucalypt forests and woodlands occur within all...

Eucalypt forests and woodlands occur within all except

the very wettest parts of the bioregion and display

considerable structural and floristic variation across

their range. This formation includes both Eucalyptus spp.

and bloodwood species (Corymbia spp.).

Adaptation to fire is a defining feature of eucalypt speciesand all are capable of regeneration following a fire event.Eucalypts are shade intolerant to varying degrees and allare incapable of regeneration under a closed canopy.

The alliance is characterised by well ordered floristicassociations which are consistently repeated across thelandscape. Variations across the alliance are stronglycontrolled by environmental factors including topography,geology and soil attributes such as fertility, texture, depthand drainage. Optimal development occurs in moist cloudyupland situations on deep well-drained soils where tallopen forests of Eucalyptus grandis, Eucalyptus resinifera andSyncarpia glomulifera form on the western margins of thecentral rainforest massif. These forest types are typicallyreferred to as 'wet sclerophyll' forests and canopy heightsof up to 60m have been observed in some locations.Reduction in forest stature and canopy cover is generallydue to increasing environmental adversity, typically theresult of decreasing moisture availability or sub-optimaledaphic conditions.

Across a typical rainfall gradient from wet upland locations(2500mm) to the drier western margins of the bioregion(1500mm), general changes to eucalypt forests willinclude:• a reduction in forest stature• changes in floristic composition• a reduction in canopy foliage cover, and• an increasing dominance of sclerophyll species within all

structural layers.

Whilst some eucalypt species are relatively adaptable,others are specialised and rarely found away from specificniches. Eucalyptus grandis and Eucalyptus resinifera forexample, are restricted to wetter locations on fertile soils;Eucalyptus portuensis, Eucalyptus reducta and Corymbiaintermedia are found across a broad range ofenvironmental conditions, and certain species includingEucalyptus shirleyi, Eucalyptus atrata, Corymbia leichhardtiiand Corymbia dimorpha are found only in the drier westernfringes of the bioregion.

The relative robustness of many of the floristicassociations within this formation is remarkable given thebroad tolerances of many species. However, a majorchange in structural or floristic attributes can often belinked to abrupt geological or landform boundaries.

Ecotonal changes across climatic gradients may be less

abrupt amorphous and more difficult to characterise in amapping sense, being expressed as subtle variations in therelative proportions of the floristic components that affectsall structural layers.

Facts and figures

Vegetation alliances

Corymbia abergiana forests andwoodlandsCorymbia citriodora woodlandsCorymbia clarksoniana woodlandsCorymbia dallachiana woodlandsCorymbia hylandii woodlandsCorymbia intermedia forests andwoodlandsCorymbia nesophila forests andwoodlandsCorymbia stockeri woodlandsCorymbia tessellaris forests andwoodlandsEucalyptus atrata woodlandsEucalyptus chlorophylla woodlandsEucalyptus cloeziana forests andwoodlandsEucalyptus crebra/graniticawoodlandsEucalyptus cullenii woodlandsEucalyptus drepanophylla forestsand woodlands,Eucalyptus grandis forests andwoodlandsEucalyptus leptophleba forests andwoodlandsEucalyptus moluccana woodlandsEucalyptus pellita woodlands]Eucalyptus platyphylla forests andwoodlands, Eucalyptus portuensis forests andwoodlandsEucalyptus reducta forests andwoodlandsEucalyptus resinifera forests andwoodlandsEucalyptus shirleyi forests andwoodlandsEucalyptus tereticornis forests andwoodlandsEucalyptus tetrodonta woodlands

Current extent in the

bioregion 592,644haArea protected 223,757ha (38%)

SCLEROPHYLL FORESTS AND WOODLANDS

OF THE WET TROPICS BIOREGIONEucalypt forests and woodlands (vegetation codes 23a-48b)

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Geography

Eucalypt forests and woodlands are a major formation thatbroadly envelope the central rainforest massif, occurringin all Wet Tropics subregions and topographic/climaticzones with the possible exception of the very wethighlands. Maximum development occurs as tall ‘wetsclerophyll’ forests in wet uplands. There is significantstructural diversity in the bioregion from the tall ‘wetsclerophyll’ forests to stunted open woodland alliances onthe drier bioregional margins.

Impacts and changes

Changes to burning regimes, grazing and logging activitieshave had a dramatic affect on many eucalypt alliances. Inparticular, eucalypt forests in those areas receiving 2000+mm rainfall on better soils (on the basis of fertility, depth,texture, and drainage) are prone to rapid capture by ashrub and tree understorey in the absence of fire,eventually moving to a state of irreversible habitat change.

The bioregion's wet sclerophyll forests have undergone themost dramatic changes. Altered fire regimes, coupled withcanopy disturbance associated with past logging activitieshas facilitated the conversion of extensive tall grassy forestto sclerophyll vine forest. Associated with this is the broadscale loss of habitat for a number of restricted faunaspecies..

Similar landscape processes have affected eucalyptforests on the coastal plain and adjacent foothills. Withinthe Girramay National Park, for example, observationssuggests that shrub invasion of most of the coastal countrybegan in earnest over a decade ago and has beenexacerbated in recent times by a series of wet years. Inmany areas on the coastal dunes south of the Murray Riverit was observed that the ground cover had largelydisappeared and that burning of these areas in the futureis likely to prove difficult (Peter Stanton pers. comm.).Shrubby thickening of eucalypt forest associated with areduction in landscape burning threatens the habitat of themahogany glider (Petaurus gracilis) in this location (PeterStanton pers. comm.).

Key values

• An extensive formation which provides for considerablelandscape diversity

• They are a major seasonal resource for nomadic nectarseeking birds and mammals.

Threatening processes

• Altered fire regimes.

• Invasions by exotic plants, typically exotic pasturegrasses and other environmental weeds.

• Logging activities in many of the better developedeucalypt forest formations.

Tenure

Extensive areas contained within a large number ofNational Parks and State Forests including Kirrama SFand Paluma SF, Girringun NP, Tully Falls NP and GirramayNP. Small areas on the western margins are containedwithin the private conservation fund estate (Mount Zeroand Taravale).

Management considerations

• The removal of fire from large parts of the bioregion inrecent decades has resulted in habitat changes overlarge areas

• Appropriate fire management is particularly needed inthe wet sclerophyll and coastal habitats that support 3endangered mammal species

• Action is needed to identify and implement appropriatemethods for the elimination of infestations of exoticgrasses, and to prevent their further spread in a range ofwoodland communities on better developed soils types

• The Mount Carbine Tablelands provides one of the fewremaining areas of virgin wet sclerophyll forest whichhas retained a natural grassy ground cover and providesan excellent opportunity for future conservation and landmanagement programs.