Flora Survey Dorrigo Three-Year Environmental Impact Statement Area, Northern Region, New South Wales

This document has been scanned from hard-copy archives for research and study purposes. Please note not all information may be current. We have tried, in preparing this copy, to make the content accessible to the widest possible audience but in some cases we recognise that the automatic text recognition maybe inadequate and we apologise in advance for any inconvenience this may cause. · ' 'ti~ ~~~~... ',~~ ~ SER lE,S No. 2 5 : FLORA SURVEY DORRIGO THREE-YEAR ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT AREA, NORTHERN REGION, NEW SOUTH WALES By Doug Binns S TAT E FORESTS RESEARCH DIVISION FLoRA SURVEY DORRIGO THREE-YEAR ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT AREA NORTHERN REGION, NEW SOUTH WALES by DOUGBINNS RESEARCH DIVISION STATE FORESTS OF NEW SOUTH WALES SYDNEY 1995 Forest Resouoces Series No. 25 January, 1995 The Author: Doug Binns, Research Officer, Forestry Ecology Section, Research Division, State Forests of New South Wales. Published by: Research Division, State Forests of New South Wales, 27 Oratava Avenue, West Pennant Hills, 2125 P.O. Box 100, Beecroft 2119 Australia. Copyright © 1995 by State Forests ofNew South Wales DDC 333.7514099443 ISSN 1033 1220 ISBN 0731022084 CONTENTS INTRODUCTION 1 METHODS 2 1. DATA COlLECTION- SURVEYS BYSTATE FORESTS 2 (a) Plot location 2 (b) Floristic andvegetation structural data 3 (c) Habitat data 3 2. DATA FROM OTHER SOURCES 5 3. LIMITATIONS 8 4. TAXONOMY AND NOMENCLATURE 8 5. DATA ANALYSIS 9 RESULTS 11 1. FLORISTICS 11 2. OVERSTOREY COMMUNITY CLASSIFICATION 11 3. OVERSTOREY COMPOSITION OFMAPPED FOREST TYPES 13 4. NON-EUCALYPT ("UNDERSTOREY") FLORISTIC COMMUNITIES 13 5. FLORISTIC CLASSIFICATION 18 6. DESCRIP110NS OF VEGETATION TYPES 20 7. LOGGING IMPACT 32 8. FIRE IMPACT 39 DISCUSSION 42 1. SIGNIFICANTPLANTSPECIES 42 2. CONSERVATIONSTATUS OF OVERSTOREY COMMUNITIES 52 3. IMPACT OFLOGGING 54 4. IMPACT OFFIRE 55 5. IMPACT OF GRAZING 55 ~ ~S 55 RECONJMENDATIONS 56 1. IN1RODUCTION 56 2. SIGNIFICANT SPECIES 57 3. RESERVATION OF COMMUNITIES 59 4. FIRE MANAGEMENT 62 5. GRAZING 64 STATE FORESTS OF NEW sourn: WALES FLORA SURVEY, OORRIOO 3-YEAR. EIS AREA. FOREST RESOURCES SERIES NO 25 NORTIlERN REGION, NEW sourn: WALES ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 65 REFERENCES 65 TABLES Table 1. Distribution ofplots among mapped forest types and State Forest groups 6 Table 2. Distribution ofplots in 3-yr area among altitude and topographic position 7 classes Table 3. Comparison and conservation status offorest vegetation communities 14 Table 4. Distribution ofplots among mapped forest types and overstorey 17 communities Table 5. Summary ofdistribution ofplots among overstorey and floristic 19 communities Table 6. Floristic richness ofplots by logging age class 32 Table 7. Floristic richness ofplots by fire history 39 FIGURES Figure 1. Locations offlora survey plots, Dorrigo Management Area 4 Figure 2. Dendrogram from floristic classification ofbasal area ofcanopy species 12 Figure 3. Dendrogram from floristic classification ofpercentage cover ofall species 18 Figure 4. Two-dimensional ordination from CCA analysis, all sclerophyll forest plots 34 Figure 5. Two-dimensional ordination from CCA analysis, grassy forest plots 35 Figure 6. Two-dimensional ordination from CCA analysis, 36 wet sclerophyll forest plots Figure 7. Scatterplot ofhybrid MDS co-ordin~tesfor wet sclerophyll forest, 37 logging history superimposed Figure 8. Scatterplot ofhybrid MDS co-ordinates for grassy forest, 38 logging history superimposed Figure 9. Scatterplot ofhybrid MDS co-ordinates for wet sclerophyll forest, 40 fire history superimposed Figure 10. Scatterplot ofhybrid MDS co-ordinates for grassy forest, 41 fire history superimposed Figure 11. Location ofproposed reserves for flora conservation 63 APPENDICES Appendix 1. Occurrence ofvascular plant species by broad vegetation type 68 and logging category Appendix 2. Briefdescriptions offloristic communities 88 Appendix 3. Dendrogram ofclassification of"undersorey" vegetation 103 Appendix 4. Distribution ofplots among floristic and "understorey" communities 104 Appendix 5. Two-way table ofspecies by plots, ofdata used for ordination analyses 105 Appendix 6. Summary ofmajor characteristics ofsurvey plots 113 FLORA SURVEY, DORRIGO 3-YEAR EIS AREA, STATE FORESTS OF NEW SOUTH WALES ii NORTHERN REGION, NEW SOUTH WALES FOREST RESOURCES SERIES NO 25 INTRODUCTION This report presents the results of recent surveys of vascular plant species undertaken in the State Forests within Dorrigo Management Area, on the eastern edge of the New England Tableland, New South Wales, in the context of enviromnental impact assessment of proposed forestry activities. An emphasis is placed on unlogged forest in the eastern part of Chaelundi State Forest (State Forest hereafter abbreviated as SF) and regrowth (previously logged) forest in parts of Wild Cattle Creek, Moonpar, Ellis and Clouds Creek SFs, as forest management activity will be concentrated in these areas over the next three years. These areas are collectively referred to in this report as the Three-Year Environmental Impact Statement Area (abbreviated as 3-yr EIS area), as shown in Figure 1, and comprise an area ofapproximately 27,000 ha. Available data for the Dorrigo Management Area as a whole (hereafter abbreviated as DMA) is also presented to provide a broader context. DMA is bounded by latitudes 290 45' to 300 25' S and longitudes 1520 15' to 1530 00' E and comprises approximately 83,000 ha of State Forests. This area, its physical characteristics and management history are described by the Forestry Commission ofNew South Wales (1985). The vegetation ofDMA has been described in some detail by Sinclair Knight (1992), from a previous report by R Lembit. The present report provides additional data and expands on several aspects which are considered important in the context of environmental impact assessment of the proposed forestry operations, but which were perceived to be lacking or deficient in the previous report. The major of these are: low intensity offield survey in dry forests ofthe mostly unlogged eastern part of Chaelundi State Forest; lack of quantitative analysis of data for plant community classification; lack of any analysis of impact of forest management from survey data; deficiency of infonnation on certain rare plants. The general aim ofthis study is to describe the vegetation in the context ofmanagement ofthe area for commercial forestry purposes. More specifically, the objectives are: i) to describe the terrestrial vascular flora of the area, particularly the vegetation types and distribution, habitat and abundance ofplant species; ii) to relate vegetation types to Forest Type map units used for forest management purposes; iii) to identify vascular plant species ofparticular botanical or conservation significance; iv) to identify vegetation types or communities ofbotanical or conservation significance and suggest representative areas for reservation where considered necessary; v) to compare the flora ofareas ofvarious forest management histories and consider likely impacts ofproposed forestry operations on flora. STATE FORESTS OF NEW soum WALES FLORA SURVEY, DORRIGO 3·YEAR EIS AREA, FOREST RESOURCES SERIES NO 25 NORTHERN REGION, NEW soum WALES METHODS I. DATA COLLECTION - SURVEYS BYSTAlE FORESTS (aj Plot location Descriptions of vegetation and assessment of impact are based on a series of non-pennanent flora survey plots established in the area. There are several sources and several periods of field work from which data for this report were derived, as described below. For the major part of the data directly relevant to the east Chaelundi area, and other data collected by State Forests staff or consultants, the procedure described below was used. Within each survey area, plot locations were stratified primarily by mapped Forest Types (Forestry Commission ofNew South Wales 1989). Plots were allocated to each type depending on the extent of the type, with a single plot in types occurring in only one or a few patches and a greater number in more extensive types. For extensive types, plots were located to sample the broad range of physical environments occupied by that type. This was done crudely using topographic maps, since access to a suitable GIS database was not available at the time of survey. The advantages ofusing mapped Forest Types rather than physical environmental parameters as the primary basis for sampling are as follows: i) They are broadly related to overstorey composition. ii) They act as a surrogate which integrates and reflects a range ofphysical environmental attributes, potentially providing greater efficency ofsampling. iii) They are part ofa standard management system, which facilitates translation ofsurvey results to management options. iv) The use offorest type maps with a combination ofsurvey results and broad area observations facilitates assessment ofconservation adequacy and location ofadditional reserves. v) They provide a much simpler basis for plot allocation in the absence ofGIS access. A series of transects had been established in the area for fauna survey, concurrent with the present survey. These transects were located to sample logged and unlogged areas, covering the range ofbroad .forest types present in the area. A total of 54 such transects was established, including 20 in logged eucalypt forest areas. A single plot along each transect was used for flora survey. To achieve a high degree ofobjectivity and representativeness, the central plot (third out offive) was chosen in most cases, except where it was very atypical ofthe

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