Commonwealth of Australia

Inclusion of ecological communities in the list of threatened ecological communities under section 181 of the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999

I, TONY BURKE, Minister for Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities, pursuant to paragraph 184(1)(a) of the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999, hereby amend the list referred to in section 181 of that Act by:

including in the list in the endangered category

Upland Basalt Eucalypt Forests of the Sydney Basin Bioregion

as described in the Schedule to this instrument. 

Dated this…..........11th.....................day of….....November...................................2011.

signed

TONY BURKE

Minister for Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities

SCHEDULE

Upland Basalt Eucalypt Forests of the Sydney Basin Bioregion

The Upland Basalt Eucalypt Forests of the Sydney Basin Bioregion ecological community is generally a tall open eucalypt forest found on igneous rock (predominately Tertiary basalt and microsyenite). It typically occurs as an open to tall open forest with a sparse, dense layer of shrubs and vines and a diverse understorey. The ecological community is located in, or adjacent to, the Sydney Basin Bioregion in areas of high rainfall.

A number of different eucalypt species may be present in the canopy layer with dominant canopy species most often Eucalyptus fastigata (brown barrel), E. viminalis (ribbon gum) and E. radiata subsp. radiata (narrow-leaved peppermint). Other common components in the canopy (depending on location) include E. obliqua (messmate stringybark),
E. elata (river peppermint), E. quadrangulata (white-topped box), E. smithii (ironbark peppermint), E. oreades (Blue Mountains ash), E. blaxlandii (Blaxland’s stringybark), E. cypellocarpa (mountain grey gum), E. piperita (Sydney peppermint) and E. ovata (swamp gum). Acacia melanoxylon (blackwood) is a common subcanopy tree. Occasional rainforest trees such as Doryphora sassafras (sassafras) and Hedycarya angustifolia (native mulberry) may also occur in areas of higher rainfall and/or more sheltered forms of the ecological community.

The understorey of the ecological community varies from dense and mesic with rainforest elements, to grassy and scleric. Common shrub species include Polyscias sambucifolia (elderberry panax), Coprosma quadrifida (prickly currant bush), Senecio linearifolius (fireweed groundsel), Daviesia ulicifolia (gorse bitter pea) and Leucopogon lanceolatus (lance beard heath).

Vines and scramblers can be a common component and include Tylophora barbarta (bearded tylophora), Eustrephus latifolius (wombat berry), Smilax australis (lawyer vine), and Clematis spp. Scramblers that may occur include Rubus parvifolius (native raspberry), Rubus rosifolius (rose-leaf bramble), Glycine spp., and Hardenbergia violacea (native sarsparilla). Hibbertia scandens (climbing guinea flower) may also occur in the wetter parts of the ecological community.

The ground layer of the ecological community is generally a diverse mix of grasses, forbs and ferns. Common species include Dichondra repens (kidney weed), Viola spp., Geranium spp., Lomandra longifolia (spiny-headed mat-rush), Stellaria spp., and Dianella spp. (flax-lily). Ferns are a common feature and include Pteridium esculentum (bracken fern), Blechnum cartilagineum (gristle fern) and Pellaea falcata (sickle fern), while common grasses include Poa spp. (tussock grasses) and Echinopogon ovatus (forest hedgehog grass).

The key diagnostic characteristics of the Upland Basalt Eucalypt Forests of the Sydney Basin Bioergion are:

• Generally confined to the Sydney Basin IBRA Bioregion although some occurrences may extend outside the Sydney Basin Bioregion boundary, e.g. the southern extent at Sassafras, east of Nerriga NSW, and patches on the Boyd Plateau and Mt Werong;
• Confined to soils derived from basalt and basalt-like substrates;
• Typically occurs at elevations between 650–1050 m above sea level (a.s.l.), with certain outlying occurrences at lower (to 350 m a.s.l.) or higher (above 1200 m a.s.l.) elevations;
• Occurs in areas with a high mean annual rainfall, typically 950–1600 mm/year;
• The tree canopy layer is present and is dominated by eucalypt trees (species as noted above) and has a minimum canopy cover of 30%;
• A shrub layer is usually present but varies from sparse to dense; and
• The ground layer is generally a diverse mix of grasses, forbs and ferns; vines and scramblers also can be present.