Factors influencing the maintenance of an inverted <i>Eucalyptus coccifera</i> tree‐line on the Mt Wellington Plateau, Tasmania

Gilfedder, Louise

doi:10.1111/j.1442-9993.1988.tb00998.x

Cited by 17 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 18 publications

(19 reference statements)

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“…Environmental factors that contribute to the maintenance of forest-grassland boundaries in Australia include frost (Paton 1988), soil nutrients (Wilson & Bowman 1994) and water-logging (Gilfedder 1988). However, these physical features cannot reasonably be invoked to explain the origin and maintenance of unstable montane 'grassy balds' such as those in northern Tasmania (Ellis 1985) and on the Bunya Mountains in subtropical Australia (Webb 1964;Fensham & Fairfax 1996).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Can burning restrict eucalypt invasion on grassy balds?

Fensham¹,

Fairfax²

2006

Austral Ecology

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Eucalyptus tereticornis seedlings occurring on the edges of grassy balds on the Bunya Mountains were burnt by four separate fires. From the results, a logistic model demonstrated that lignotuber size was positively related and fire temperature negatively related to survivorship. While mortality was high for young seedlings there was no mortality of 5-year old survivors from these trials subject to repeat burning. The model predicted that burning every 2 years will not substantially limit seedling establishment. This prediction was strengthened by results verifying that management fires on the grassy balds are generally of low intensity. Fire intensity is weakly related to a Fire Danger Index, indicating that the timing of burning in relation to weather conditions will not substantially enhance opportunities for more intense fires. Thus, even with biennial burning under optimal conditions eucalypt forest will replace grassy balds where they adjoin. Regular burning by aborigines may have maintained grassy bald-rainforest boundaries, but not boundaries with eucalypt forest. Seed dispersal and migration barriers may have limited the expansion of eucalypt forest. It is concluded that under current conditions the long-term preservation of the grassy balds is only possible where they are entirely surrounded by rainforest and are regularly burnt.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Can burning restrict eucalypt invasion on grassy balds?

Fensham¹,

Fairfax²

2006

Austral Ecology

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“…As with our plants at the other sites, the trees in the subalpine forests on Mount Wellington lean away from the southwest (Gilfedder, 1988), whereas, in our quadrats near the summit, the plants lean away from the northwest. Leaf damage from wind-blown ice is greater on the windward (southwest) side of treeline eucalypts, which, combined with the asymmetric crown form, suggests ice-bearing southwesterly winds are the controlling factor (Gilfedder, 1988). Gilfedder (1988) presents evidence that the upper altitudinal limit of trees on Mount Wellington is related to drought.…”

Section: Correspondence Of Distortion To Wind Regimesmentioning

confidence: 88%

“…Leaf damage from wind-blown ice is greater on the windward (southwest) side of treeline eucalypts, which, combined with the asymmetric crown form, suggests ice-bearing southwesterly winds are the controlling factor (Gilfedder, 1988). Gilfedder (1988) presents evidence that the upper altitudinal limit of trees on Mount Wellington is related to drought. Hot, dry northwesterly winds occur during the summer growing season.…”

Section: Correspondence Of Distortion To Wind Regimesmentioning

confidence: 92%

Wind Distortion in Alpine and Subantarctic Plants is Constant among Life Forms but does not Necessarily Reflect Prevailing Wind Direction

Fitzgerald

Kirkpatrick

2017

Arctic, Antarctic, and Alpine Research

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“…E. coccifera is better suited to well-drained rather than waterlogged conditions (Gilfedder 1988, Kirkpatrick & Gibson 1998. Although there was a greater increase in tree density on the north-facing slope, in most quadrats the increase was not sufficient to influence vegetation composition as shown by the lack of relationship between the variables related to E. coccifera and those related to species composition.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Decadal-scale vegetation dynamics above the alpine treeline, Mount Rufus, Tasmania

Harrison‐Day¹,

Balmer²,

Kirkpatrick³

2016

PPRST

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Alpine areas by definition have summer temperatures too cool to support trees. Concerns have been raised that trees may invade these distinctive habitats where global climate change results in an increase in summer temperatures beyond the threshold limiting tree growth. In 2016, we investigated changes in the treeline and vegetation immediately above it by resampling quadrats and rephotographing from the set points established in the Alpine Treeline Ecotone Monitoring Program on Mount Rufus, Tasmania, in 2006. Within the study area, the only species with the potential to reach a tree height > 3 m is Eucalyptus coccifera Hook.f. The height, density, basal diameter and diameter at breast height were recorded for all E. coccifera within the study area, together with an estimate of percentage cover of each vascular plant species. No change was found in the location of the treeline over the 10-year period, although E. coccifera height and density above the treeline did increase. The vegetation on the north-facing slope shifted to a composition more closely related to the forest below the treeline, while on the south-facing slope forest species reduced in abundance and the vegetation became more dominated by alpine species. Historical aerial photographs suggest that there has been a minor and inconsistent establishment of E. coccifera plants at higher altitudes since 1953. The area was burned by bushfire in 1965, making it difficult to separate the effects of putative climate change and recovery after the fire event on vegetation changes, although data from Lake St Clair suggest a local constancy of mean growing season temperatures and rainfall.

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Factors influencing the maintenance of an inverted Eucalyptus coccifera tree‐line on the Mt Wellington Plateau, Tasmania

Cited by 17 publications

References 18 publications

Can burning restrict eucalypt invasion on grassy balds?

Can burning restrict eucalypt invasion on grassy balds?

Wind Distortion in Alpine and Subantarctic Plants is Constant among Life Forms but does not Necessarily Reflect Prevailing Wind Direction

Decadal-scale vegetation dynamics above the alpine treeline, Mount Rufus, Tasmania

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