Riverina Local Land Services TSR Vegetation Guide
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Travelling Stock Reserves Vegetation Guide Riverina Local Land Services This project has been funded by NSW Environmental Trust Riverina Local Land Services Travelling Stock Reserve Vegetation Guide Prepared for NSW Local Land Services Report for: Local Land Services Prepared by: Ian Davidson, Regeneration Solutions Pty Ltd Date: February 2020 Funded by: NSW Environmental Trust This work draws heavily on material from the website of the Office of Environment and Heritage. The authors of this guide do not claim authorship, nor accept responsibility for, content drawn from this site. All photos were taken by Ian Davidson unless stated otherwise. Cover photo: Flax-lily flowering on Old Gunbar stock route Contents Vegetation in the Riverina region 1 Vegetation classes of the Riverina Local Land Services region 2 Southern Tableland Wet Sclerophyll Forests 3 Upper Riverina Dry Sclerophyll Forests 4 Western Slopes Dry Sclerophyll Forests 5 Western Slopes Grassy Woodlands 6 Floodplain Transition Woodlands 7 Riverine Sandhill Woodlands 8 Inland Riverine Forests 9 Inland Floodplain Woodlands 10 Inland Floodplain Shrublands 11 Inland Rocky Hill Woodlands 12 Riverine Plain Woodlands 13 Riverine Plain Grasslands 14 Riverine Chenopod Shrublands 15 Sand Plain Mallee Woodlands 16 Semi-arid Sand Plain Woodlands 17 NSW and EPBC (Commonwealth) Endangered Ecological Communities (EECs) of the Riverina region 18 NSW Endangered Ecological Communities 19 Commonwealth EPBC EECs 20 Site managed species 21 Recommended plant identification references 21 iv Riverina Riverina Local Local Land Land ServicesS ervices TTravellingr av elling S Stock tock Reserves Reserve | VVegetationegetation Guide Guide Table of fgures Figure 1: Riverina Local Land Services region 1 Figure 2: Keith Class - Southern Tableland Wet Sclerophyll Forests 3 Figure 3: Keith Class - Upper Riverina Dry Sclerophyll Forests 4 Figure 4: Keith Class -Western Slopes Dry Sclerophyll Forests 5 Figure 5: Keith Class - Western Slopes Grassy Woodlands 6 Figure 6: Keith Class - Floodplain Transition Woodlands 7 Figure 7: Keith Class - Riverine Sandhill Woodlands 8 Figure 8: Keith Class - Inland Riverine Forests 9 Figure 9: Keith Class - Inland Floodplain Woodlands 10 Figure 10: Keith Class - Inland Floodplain Shrublands 11 Figure 11: Keith Class - Inland Rocky Hill Woodlands 12 Figure 12: Keith Class - Riverine Plain Woodlands 13 Figure 13: Keith Class - Riverine Plain Grasslands 14 Figure 14: Keith Class - Riverine Chenopod Shrublands 15 Figure 15: Keith Class - Sand Plain Mallee Woodlands 16 Figure 16: Keith Class - Semi-arid Sand Plain Woodlands 17 Vegetation in the Riverina region The Riverina region covers around 67,000 square kilometres (6.7 million hectares) across a range of environments, from the steep alpine slopes of the Great Dividing Range (GDR) in the east near Tumut, to the rocky ranges in central parts and the vast native grasslands and shrublands in the west bordered by the Lower Lachlan River. The region is traversed by the Murrumbidgee River floodplain and associated creeklines across a landscape mostly cleared for agriculture; but with significant remnant native vegetation. This document provides basic advice and Figure 1: Riverina Local Land Services region descriptions of the vegetation formations, endangered ecological communities (both NSW and Commonwealth) and site managed species known to occur in the Riverina Local Land Services region. This information is especially relevant to Local Land Services staff managing Travelling Stock Reserves (TSRs) but is also suitable for other Local Land Services staff and land managers as a way to rapidly assess the potential status of native vegetation in the field. Links are provided to enable a more thorough understanding of the matters described. 1 Riverina Local Land Services Travelling Stock Reserves | Vegetation Guide Vegetation classes of the Riverina Local Land Services region There are 15 Vegetation Classes that occur in the region, excluding the alpine areas which largely fall within the Kosciusko National Park. • Southern Tableland Wet Sclerophyll Forests • Upper Riverina Dry Sclerophyll Forests • Western Slopes Dry Sclerophyll Forests • Western Slopes Grassy Woodlands • Floodplain Transition Woodlands • Riverine Sandhill Woodlands • Inland Riverine Forests • Inland Floodplain Woodlands • Inland Floodplain Shrublands • Inland Rocky Hill Woodlands • Riverine Plain Woodlands • Riverine Plain Grasslands • Riverine Chenopod Shrublands • Sand Plain Mallee Woodlands • Semi-arid Sand Plain Woodlands The following is a brief summary of key vegetation community information for rapid field identification and assessment, including the presence of any Endangered Ecological Communities (EECs). More detailed information including distribution, vegetation structure and floristics is available by entering the vegetation class name into your browser and clicking on the first Office of Environment and Heritage (OEH) site. 2 Southern Tableland Wet Sclerophyll Forests Distribution Higher slopes above 600-1000+m in the east around Tumut. Note that this vegetation type was often cleared for pine plantations. Vegetation structure Tall open eucalypt forest 20-35 m tall, with variable density of shrubs, and a diverse, relatively continuous herbaceous-grassy groundcover. Main species The overstorey is dominated by a range of higher rainfall mountain eucalypts e.g. blue gum, apple Figure 2: Keith Class - Southern Tableland Wet Sclerophyll Forests box, mountain gum, peppermints and ribbon gum. The shrub layer is usually well developed with a range of tall wattles and dense lower layers of Cassinia spps. and heaths often common. The understorey usually consists of some grasses and many forbs*. * herbaceous flowering plant. EEC presence Montane Peatlands and Swamps; and Tablelands Snow Gum, Black Sallee, Candlebark and Ribbon Gum Grassy Woodland may occur in this vegetation community along swampy drainage lines and frost hollows. Southern Tableland Wet Sclerophyll Forest in Bago State Forest 3 Riverina Local Land Services Travelling Stock Reserves | Vegetation Guide Upper Riverina Dry Sclerophyll Forests Distribution Western fall of the Great Dividing Range between 300-700m above sea level, mainly the area between Burrinjuck and Albury. Vegetation structure Open eucalypt forest or woodland up to 20 m tall with a mix of shrubs and grasses. Main species The overstorey is dominated by various box species, Blakely’s red gum and red stringybark. The shrub layer can be more or less common Figure 3: Keith Class - Upper Riverina Dry Sclerophyll Forests and usually includes wattle and heaths. The understorey usually consists of grasses and forbs. EEC presence Box-Gum Woodlands may occur on lower fertile site where white box, yellow box and or Blakely’s red gum are present with a grassy ground layer dominated by kangaroo grass. Upper Riverina Dry Sclerophyll Forest with grassy understorey near Lankeys Creek 4 Western Slopes Dry Sclerophyll Forests Distribution Occurs on ridges and slopes below 600 m elevation on sandstone and granite outcrops with low fertility sandy loams from the Griffith district to around Tumut. Vegetation structure Open eucalypt forest or woodland 10-25 m tall, dominated by mugga ironbark and cypress pines with an open shrub layer and sparse to moderate grassy ground cover. Main species The overstorey is dominated by Figure 4: Keith Class -Western Slopes Dry Sclerophyll Forests mugga ironbark and tumbledown red gum. Black and white cypress pine may be locally common. The shrub layer is often diverse with wattles, bush-peas and heaths often present and the understorey consists of spear and wallaby grasses and many forbs. EEC presence The critically endangered EEC Mallee and Mallee-Broombush dominated woodland and shrubland, lacking Triodia is found mostly in this vegetation community. Western Slopes Dry Sclerophyll Forest in Livingstone NP, note the aspect difference of herb- rich green understorey on the sheltered slope compared with the dry sparse understorey on the more exposed slope 5 Riverina Local Land Services Travelling Stock Reserves | Vegetation Guide Western Slopes Grassy Woodlands Distribution Occurs on the more fertile lower slopes and rises between Ardlethan, Young and Tumut. Vegetation structure Open eucalypt forest or woodland up to 20 m tall with a mix of shrubs and grasses. Main species The overstorey is dominated by various box species, Blakely’s red gum and red stringybark. The shrub layer can be more or less common and usually includes wattle and Figure 5: Keith Class - Western Slopes Grassy Woodlands heaths. The understorey usually consists of grasses and forbs. EEC presence Box-Gum Woodlands are commonly found in this vegetation community. Western Slopes Grassy Woodland on the rolling slopes north of Woomargama NP 6 Floodplain Transition Woodlands Distribution Transitional zone where the western slopes merge into the floodplains of the Murrumbidgee River system mostly east of the Kidman Way. Vegetation structure Open woodland 15-25 m tall and dominated by box eucalypts, scattered shrubs including wattles and saltbush and a largely continuous grassy ground cover. Main species The overstorey is dominated by Figure 6: Keith Class - Floodplain Transition Woodlands grey box and occasionally yellow box, buloke and white cypress pine. The shrub layer may contain many wattles, hopbush, butterbush and the understorey may consist of wallaby, spear or windmill grasses, numerous saltbushes and forbs. EEC presence Inland Grey