PRIVATE FOREST RESERVE ~ FOREST COMMUNITITES ~ NATIVE FLORA
THE FOLLOWING GENERAL OBJECTIVES APPLY TO THE MANAGEMENT OF THE VALLEY WILDERNESS RETREAT PRIVATE RESERVE:
- Protection and conservation of the Reserve's natural systems and features including the diversity of species, habitats and communities.
- Protection of significant vegetation communities and populations of threatened and/or priority plant and animal species.
- Protection of the Reserve from damage by introduced plants and animals, disease and inappropriate management regimes.
- Specific Management Objectives for CAR values. The Management objectives are:
- To maintain the structure of the forest and allow for regeneration of native species under the proposed management regime.
- To prevent the forest stand from being frequently burnt.
- To eradicate or control weeds and feral animals and prevent any further introduction of exotic species.
- To protect the habitat of threatened and/or priority species
"Trees are so generous. Birds can land on their branches, animals can take their leaves for food, humans can eat their fruit and use their wood when the tree no longer needs it. Trees give us so much. If we take their lives from them, then we have to do it so that the generosity continues. If we build shelters with the wood, share the shelter with others; if we make fires for warmth, invite the whole family. Be generous like the trees. Trees are our greatest teachers." Mr Randall
FOREST COMMUNITIES
All photography by Trudi Bird
EUCALYPTUS VIMINALIS (WHITE GUM) WET FOREST
Eucalyptus viminalis wet forest is a wet sclerophyll community with a typical understorey mixture of small and broad-leaved shrub species. It occurs mainly on fertile, well-drained sites. The dominant species, Eucalyptus viminalis generally forms an even aged stand of tall and well-formed trees. In sites that are drier or have a higher fire frequency the understorey may be low with a sparser tree cover.
Eucalyptus viminalis wet forest is found mainly on the fertile, well-drained flats and lower slopes of the major valleys of the central north, and less extensively in the north-east, east and south-east. It is often present on a substrate of basalt or alluvium (sediment deposited by flowing water, as in a flood plain).
The community is dominated by E. viminalis. Trees can exceed 60 m on fertile sites. Eucalyptus viminalis wet forest at Evercreech Forest Reserve contains some of Tasmania’s tallest trees reaching nearly 90 m. Old-growth stands are uncommon - most stands are regrowth to 40 m.
Eucalyptus obliqua (stringybark), E. delegatensis (gumtopped stringybark) Acacia melanoxylon (blackwood) and A. dealbata (silver wattle) are sometimes present as sub-dominants, with E. regnans (giant ash) occurring occasionally as a sub-dominant in the north-east.
Most sites have a typical wet sclerophyll understorey containing shrubs such as Pomaderris apetala (common dogwood), Olearia argophylla (musk) and Coprosma quadrifida (native current). Ferns, including Dicksonia antarctica (soft tree fern) on wet sites and tall Pteridium esculentum (bracken) on drier sites, are common. On drier or less fertile sites the understorey is more diverse, with dry sclerophyll shrubs including Pultenaea juniperina (prickly beauty) and Lomatia tinctoria (guitar plant). Rubus fruticosus (blackberry) and other weeds are common on disturbed sites. In many cases where Eucalyptus viminalis wet forest occurs as remnants in agricultural regions where the bush is heavily burnt and an understorey of bracken may dominate.
THIS FOREST COMMUNITY IS CONSIDERED TO BE ENDANGERED, 100% OF THE REMAINING AREA IS REQUIRED TO BE PROTECTED TO MEET BOTH STATEWIDE AND BIOREGIONAL RESERVATION TARGETS.
EUCALYPTUS OBLIQUA (STRINGYBARK) WET FOREST
Eucalyptus obliqua (stringybark) wet forest is a tall to very tall wet sclerophyll or mixed forest community. It is one of the most widespread forest communities in Tasmania, occurring extensively throughout the north-west, central north, north-east, east and south-east of Tasmania in regions of relatively high rainfall and on a number of different substrates. Eucalyptus obliqua (stringybark) wet forest is characterised by emergent E. obliqua trees over a wet sclerophyll (broadleaf shrub) or rainforest understorey.
Across its distribution range E. obliqua wet forest often occurs in pure stands. In areas with fertile soils and high rainfall E. regnans (giant ash) may co-occur with E. obliqua. The forest is often composed of tall to very tall trees with well-formed trunks that are approximately two-thirds of the total height of the tree. In regrowth trees, the crowns are relatively small. Mature trees can form large spreading crowns.
In wet sclerophyll forests on relatively dry sites, E. viminalis (white gum) is a frequent co-dominant. This is either replaced or co-occurs with E. globulus (Tasmanian blue gum) in eastern and south-east Tasmania. At altitudes above 300 m E. dalrympleana (mountain white gum) replaces E. viminalis. On alluvial flats in the north-west E. brookeriana (brookers gum) is a frequent co-dominant, while E. nitida (western peppermint) is the most common peppermint co-dominant in the north-west, and E. amygdalina (black peppermint) in the central north and north-east. At altitudes above 600 m or in areas of cold air drainage, E. delegatensis may co-occur with E. obliqua. In mixed forest understorey rainforest trees will include Nothofagus cunninghamii (southern beech), Atherosperma moschatum (sassafrass), Eucryphia lucida (leatherwood) and Phyllocladus aspleniifolius (celery top pine). The lower understorey in this wet E. obliqua forest is typically composed of broadleaf shrubs, the most common including Pomaderris apetala (common dogwood), Nematolepis squamea (satinwood) and Olearia argophylla (musk), with a high number of ground ferns.
THIS COMMUNITY IS WELL RESERVED ON A STATEWIDE BASIS, THOUGH UNDER-RESERVED WITHIN THE NORTHERN SLOPES BIOREGION, REQUIRING 15% RESERVATION OF ITS1750 EXTENT TO MEET BIOREGION RESERVATION TARGETS.