Vegetation changes in the Pilliga forests: a preliminary evaluation of the evidence

Norris, E. H.; Mitchell, P. B.; Hart, Diane

doi:10.1007/bf00036058

Cited by 14 publications

(20 citation statements)

References 5 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Controversy exists about the nature of the pre-European vegetation of the region (Rolls 1981;Norris et al 1991;Benson and Redpath 1997;Lunt et al 2006), although parts of the area were certainly burnt regularly by the indigenous people creating a grassy, open forest structure. Europeans arrived in the 1830s and cleared many areas for sheep and cattle grazing, particularly in the western half of the Pilliga.…”

Section: Study Areamentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The subsequent reduced grazing pressure, infrequent burning regime, and several wet years resulted in dense regeneration of the native white cypress pine in many areas by the early 1890s (Rolls 1981;Anon. 1986;Norris et al 1991;Van Kempen 1997;Lunt et al 2006). Thinning of cypress pine regeneration and associated culling of competing eucalypts began in 1930 and continued until the early 1980s.…”

Section: Study Areamentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Koalas continue to occupy their previous home-ranges after selective logging in Callitris - Eucalyptus forest

2007

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The koala (Phascolarctos cinereus) is a charismatic, high-profile species whose conservation needs are commonly perceived to be incompatible with logging. However, koala biology and the results of chronosequence studies elsewhere suggest that this species may tolerate a degree of habitat alteration caused by logging. In this study, 30 koalas, five in each of six areas available for logging within a mixed white cypress pine (Callitris glaucophylla)-Eucalyptus forest in north-western New South Wales, were radio-tracked for one year during 1997-1998 to determine their movements, homerange sizes and tree preferences. Five months after the study began, three of these areas were logged selectively for sawlogs and thinnings of the white cypress pine, a tree that is important to koalas for daytime shelter. This removed about onequarter of the stand basal area, but the eucalypt component was unaffected. The remaining three areas were left undisturbed as controls. Radio-tracking continued in all six areas for another seven months. Koalas continued to occupy all or part of their previous home-ranges after selective logging, and home-range sizes remained similar between logged and unlogged areas. Home-ranges for both sexes overlapped and were ~12 ha for males and 9 ha for females. Koala survival and the proportions of breeding females were similar in logged and unlogged areas. The principal food trees of the koala were red gums, mainly Eucalyptus blakelyi and E. chloroclada, and the pilliga box (E. pilligaensis), none of which were logged in this study. These results suggest that selective logging for white cypress pine does not appear to adversely affect koala populations and that koalas may not be as sensitive to logging as previously thought. Further work is required to determine thresholds in the level of retention of koala food trees in logging operations. Koalas continue to occupy their previous home-ranges after selective logging in Callitris-Eucalyptus forest

show abstract

Section: Study Areamentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Study Areamentioning

confidence: 99%

Koalas continue to occupy their previous home-ranges after selective logging in Callitris - Eucalyptus forest

2007

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Recently, there has been considerable debate concerning the pre-settlement vegetation structure of temperate woodlands in southern Australia (Mitchell, 1991;Norris et al, 1991;Ryan et al, 1995;Benson & Redpath, 1997;Flannery, 1998;Rolls, 1999Rolls, , 2000. This debate has centred on two important questions: how dense were trees at the time of European settlement, and how have vegetation remnants changed since settlement?…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of European colonization on indigenous ecosystems: post‐settlement changes in tree stand structures in Eucalyptus–Callitris woodlands in central New South Wales, Australia

Lunt

Jones

Spooner

et al. 2006

Journal of Biogeography

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Aim There has been considerable debate about pre-settlement stand structures in temperate woodlands in south-eastern Australia. Traditional histories assumed massive tree losses across the region, whereas a number of recent histories propose that woodlands were originally open and trees regenerated densely after settlement. To reconcile these conflicting models, we gathered quantitative data on pre-settlement stand structures in Eucalyptus-Callitris woodlands in central New South Wales Australia, including: (1) tree density, composition, basal area and canopy cover at the time of European settlement; and (2) post-settlement changes in these attributes.Location Woodlands dominated by Eucalyptus species and Callitris glaucophylla, which originally occupied approximately 100,000 km 2 in central New South Wales, Australia.Methods We recorded all evidence of pre-settlement trees, including stumps, stags and veteran trees, from 39 relatively undisturbed 1-ha stands within 16 State Forests evenly distributed across the region. Current trees were recorded in a nested 900 m 2 quadrat at each site. Allometric relationships were used to estimate girth over bark at breast height, tree basal area, and crown diameter from the girth of cut stumps. A post-settlement disturbance index was developed to assess correlations between post-settlement disturbance and attributes of pre-settlement stands. ResultsThe densities of all large trees (> 60 cm girth over bark at breast height) were significantly greater in current stands than at the time of European settlement (198 vs. 39 trees ha )1 ). Pre-settlement and current stands did not differ in basal area. However, the proportional representation of Eucalyptus and Callitris changed completely. At the time of settlement, stands were dominated by Eucalyptus (78% of basal area), whereas current stands are dominated by Callitris (74%). On average, Eucalyptus afforded 83% of crown cover at the time of settlement. Moreover, the estimated density, basal area and crown cover of Eucalyptus at the time of settlement were significantly negatively correlated with post-settlement disturbance, which suggests that these results underestimate pre-settlement Eucalyptus representation in the most disturbed stands.Main conclusions These results incorporate elements of traditional and recent vegetation histories. Since European settlement, State Forests have been transformed from Eucalyptus to Callitris dominance as a result of the widespread clearance of pre-settlement Eucalyptus and dense post-settlement recruitment of Callitris. Tree densities did increase greatly after European Journal compilation ª 2006 Blackwell Publishing Ltd settlement, but most stands were much denser at the time of settlement than recent histories suggest. The original degree of dominance by Eucalyptus was unexpected, and has been consistently underestimated in the past. This study has greatly refined our understanding of post-settlement changes in woodland stand structures, and will strengthen the foundation for management poli...

show abstract

“…Rolls 1981; Ryan et al 1995;and van Kempen 1997) and challenged by others (e.g. Norris et al 1991;Benson and Redpath 1997;Paull 2001). Lunt et al (2006) concluded that the pre-European structure of inland woodlands included elements of both of these polarised perceptions.…”

Section: Issue 2: Densities Of Hollow Trees Of the Pre-european Pillimentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Mackowski 1984;Baur 1990) that such densities of ironbark trees with medium and large hollows could not possibly be regrowth from the past 100 years. Likewise, documentation by Norris et al (1991) that the existing extent of the Pilliga forest had always been forest for the past century appears to have been ignored.…”

Section: Conservation As a Constraint To Forest Productsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Four issues influencing the management of hollow-using bats of the Pilliga forests of inland New South Wales

Parnaby¹,

Lunney²,

Fleming³

2011

The Biology and Conservation of Australasian Bats

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Four issues influencing the management of hollow-dependent bats are examined for the Pilliga forests of inland NSW. These are: 1) the longevity of eucalypts and implications for the strategies for retaining hollow trees; 2) the condition of the forests and woodlands of the Pilliga at the time of European settlement, focusing on densities of hollow trees; 3) the impact of fire and climate change on loss of tree hollows; and 4) the implications of recent ecological research on perceptions of the vulnerability of hollow-using bats. We argue the need for an urgent reevaluation of these issues. Average tree longevity is likely to be much greater than previously acknowledged, the pre-European Pilliga was a forest with hollow-bearing tree densities approximating those of coastal and montane forests, rather than being an open woodland; and fire will significantly reduce the numbers of hollow trees. Consequently, hollow-using bats in the Pilliga are more vulnerable than previously realised, and densities of hollow-bearing trees need to be quantified across tenures. We suggest that densities of hollow-bearing trees to be retained under current logging prescriptions need to be revised upwards. A cross-tenure approach to management is needed, given that the Pilliga forests are about evenly divided between forest managed by DECCW and by Forests NSW, i.e. the difference between conservation and commercial priorities. We conclude that the protection of remaining hollow-bearing trees is the only effective option for managing the hollow-dependent bats in the Pilliga. We predict that local extinctions of a range of hollow-using bat species will occur without active management and monitoring to protect the remaining hollow-bearing trees, and the intermediate-aged, hollowrecruit trees, from logging and fire.

show abstract

Vegetation changes in the Pilliga forests: a preliminary evaluation of the evidence

Cited by 14 publications

References 5 publications

Koalas continue to occupy their previous home-ranges after selective logging in Callitris - Eucalyptus forest

Koalas continue to occupy their previous home-ranges after selective logging in Callitris - Eucalyptus forest

Effects of European colonization on indigenous ecosystems: post‐settlement changes in tree stand structures in Eucalyptus–Callitris woodlands in central New South Wales, Australia

Four issues influencing the management of hollow-using bats of the Pilliga forests of inland New South Wales

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About