Indicative distribution
The areas shown in pink and/purple are the sub-regions where the species or community is known or predicted to occur. They may not occur thoughout the sub-region but may be restricted to certain areas.
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click here to see geographic restrictions).
The information presented in this map is only indicative and may contain errors and omissions.
Scientific name: Tableland Basalt Forest in the Sydney Basin and South Eastern Highlands Bioregions
Gazetted date:
04 Jan 2008
Profile last updated:
11 Jun 2024
Description
Tableland Basalt Forest is dominated by an open eucalypt canopy of variable composition. Eucalyptus viminalis, E. radiata, E. dalrympleana subsp. dalrympleana and E. pauciflora may occur in the community in pure stands or in varying combinations. The community typically has an open canopy of eucalypts with sparse mid-story shrubs (e.g. Acacia melanoxylon and A. dealbata) and understory shrubs (e.g. Rubus parvifolius) and a dense groundcover of herbs and grasses, although disturbed stands may lack either or both of the woody strata. The structure of the community varies depending on past and current disturbances, particularly fire history, clearing and grazing. Contemporary tree-dominated stands of the community are largely relics or regrowth of originally taller forests and woodlands, which are likely to have had scattered shrubs and a largely continuous grassy groundcover. At some sites, mature trees may exceed 30 m tall, although regrowth stands may be shorter than 10 m tall.
Tableland Basalt Forest can relate to the Commonwealth Upland Basalt Eucalypt Forests TEC where it occurs on soils derived from basalt or basalt like substrates within or adjoining the Sydney Basin bioregion (IBRA Version 6.1) and satisfies the condition thresholds as per section 5 of the Listing Advice.
Distribution
Tableland Basalt Forest is currently found in the Eastern Highlands and Southern and Central Tablelands, covering the local government areas of Bathurst Regional, Goulburn Mulwaree, Oberon, Palerang, Shoalhaven, Upper Lachlan and Wingecarribee. The community, however, may be found elsewhere within the designated bioregions.
Habitat and ecology
- Tableland Basalt Forest typically occurs on loam or clay soils associated with basalt or, less commonly, alluvium, fine-grained sedimentary rocks, granites and similar substrates that produce relatively fertile soils.
- The species composition of Tableland Basalt Forest varies with average annual rainfall. On basalt or plutonic substrates east of Mittagong and Moss Vale, at the eastern edge of its distribution where average rainfall exceeds 1000-1100 mm per year, the community is replaced by Robertson Basalt Tall Open-forest and Mount Gibraltar Forest.
- Its distribution spans altitudes from approximately 600 m to 900 m above sea level, usually on undulating or hilly terrain.
- Mean annual rainfall varies from approximately 750 mm up to 1100 mm across the distribution of the community.
Regional distribution and habitat
Click on a region below to view detailed distribution, habitat and vegetation information.
Threats
- Risk from stochastic events due to anthropogenic climate change including extreme weather events, higher temperatures, and drying environments resulting in alteration of habitat structure, composition and resource availability.
- Uncertainty of future land management practices as the ecological community is poorly represented in the reserve network and at risk of vegetation clearing, habitat modification (e.g., commercial and illegal firewood collection), and degradation of remnants (including clearing of trees for agriculture).
- Altered fire regimes (including fire frequency, intensity, seasonality and scale) modify the appropriate floristic and structural diversity of the ecological community.
- Habitat loss and fragmentation due to rural subdivisions, pasture and cropping development, easements, transport corridors and other localised developments. Isolated remnants are susceptible to further clearing, leading to reduced utilisation and genetic isolation of component species.
- Loss and decline of mature hollow-bearing trees that provide habitat for hollow-utilising fauna (e.g., koalas, gliders, possums, microbats, hollow-nesting birds) due to changes in soil condition from excess moisture (e.g., increases fungal disease, soil cannot sustain them) to lack of moisture during a drought (e.g., canopy loss, reduced or failed reproduction, and death of trees).
- Lack of awareness of the distribution, and ecology of the ecological community.
- Grazing by domestic livestock degrades the ground stratum, altering the ground and mid layer flora composition, resulting in the loss of sensitive plants. Domestic stock also contributes to erosion, compaction, and other soil changes (including increased nutrient enrichment of the topsoil).
- Browsing and disturbance by introduced herbivores such as rabbits, hares, deer and goats.
- Invasion and establishment of transformer weed species changing the community structure and floristics. This includes exotic woody weeds and exotic grasses that form a thick layer preventing eucalypt recruitment and reducing the canopy cover, therefore compromising the species composition of the mid-storey and understorey layers.
- Almost all of the remaining area of the community occurs on private land or on public easements, where its geographic distribution is undergoing a continuing decline due to small-scale clearing associated with rural subdivisions, easements, transport corridors and other localised development.
- Past extensive clearing of Tableland Basalt Forest has resulted in fragmentation and loss of ecological connectivity. The remaining area of the community is severely fragmented.
- The integrity and survival of small, isolated stands is impaired by the small population size of many species, enhanced risks from environmental stochasticity, disruption to pollination and dispersal of fruits or seeds, and likely reductions in the genetic diversity of isolated populations.
- Moderate to heavy grazing of Tableland Basalt Forest, by livestock and rabbits results in the decline and disappearance of palatable plant species, including shrubs and herbs, and compaction and erosion of topsoil, making it difficult for a diverse native understorey to re-establish at times when total grazing pressure is reduced.
- Weed invasion poses a significant threat to Tableland Basalt Forest.
Recovery strategies
A Saving Our Species conservation project is currently being developed for this species and will be available soon. For information on how you can contribute to this species' recovery, see the Activities to assist this species section below.
Activities to assist this species
- Reduce small scale clearing pressures.
- Ensure remnants remain connected or linked to each other; in cases where remnants have lost connective links, re-establish them by revegetating sites to act as stepping stones for fauna and flora.
- Reduce agricultural grazing pressures through the adoption of suitable grazing regimes.
- Control feral rabbit populations.
- Control invasive weed species.
Information sources
- NSW Scientific Committee (2008) Tableland Basalt Forest in the Sydney Basin and South Eastern Highlands Bioregions - endangered ecological community listing. Final Determination DECC (NSW), Sydney.
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