The history of settlement of the semi-arid rangelands of western New South Wales is reviewed with respect to changes in the vegetation and soil which occurred under a regime of european land management. Simple dynamics of the vegetation response to grazing are illustrated and primary archival data is explored to verify the status of traditional wisdom about three examples of perceived change; the extent of the pioneers knowledge of land degradation, the timing and causes of nineteenth century Callitris pine regrowth events, and the importance of soil compaction. In each case it is shown that the traditional wisdom surrounding these issues is partly erroneous and that folklore is in danger of becoming accepted fact. Such errors must be avoided if we are to improve range dynamics models and management.
Changes in the vegetation of Australia since white settlement have been much discussed in recent times. In particular, the changes that have been reported to have occurred in the Pilliga forests in northern New South Wales have been used as a reference for other areas of the State. Two periods of pine regeneration are believed to have occurred in the Pilliga, but preliminary research concerning the history of these forests has uncovered various sources of information indicating that the story is a more complex. Climatic data, archival records and the biology and ecology of various flora and fauna are examined in this paper in a preliminary attempt to gain a more accurate picture of change or stability in the vegetation of this region.
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