Monitoring of Acacia Pendula in the Weeping Myall Management Areas, Bulga Coal, Singleton LGA: 2018 Results
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2018 Monitoring of Acacia pendula in the Weeping Myall Management Areas, Bulga Coal, Singleton LGA: 2018 Results 31 October 2018 Report to Bulga Surface Operations, Glencore Stephen A.J. Bell Eastcoast Flora Survey PO Box 216 Kotara Fair NSW 2289 Report produced by: Stephen A.J. Bell Eastcoast Flora Survey Telephone (02) 4953 6523 PO Box 216 Kotara Fair NSW 2289 Australia Email: [email protected] This document should be cited as: Bell, S.A.J. (2018) Monitoring of Acacia pendula in the Weeping Myall Management Areas, Bulga Coal, Singleton LGA: 2018 Results. Unpublished Report to Bulga Surface Operations (Glencore). October 2018. Eastcoast Flora Survey. © Stephen Bell This report is copyright. Apart from fair dealing for the purposes of private study, research, criticism or review as permitted under the Copyright Act 1968, no part may be reproduced, copied, transmitted in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical or graphic) without the prior written permission of the author. Cover image: Aerial view of Weeping Myall Management Area # 2, August 2018. Report produced for: Bulga Coal Surface Operations Bulga Joint Venture Broke Road Singleton NSW 2333 Project Manager: Tom Scott (Environment & Community Advisor) i Summary Monitoring of Weeping Myall within the two WMMAs during 2018 has revealed few changes to either Acacia pendula individuals or the landscapes in which they occur. Extensive coppice growth from root suckers is continuing to occur in both MAs, but there remains no evidence of successful flowering, fruiting or new recruitment. Monitoring of the rare flowering event in the first half of 2018 showed how multiple stressors (invertebrates, mistletoes, drought) appear to be acting on the population of Acacia pendula within WMMA # 2, such that maintenance of individuals relies solely on the production of ramets (reported elsewhere). Overall, floristic diversity and abundance within the two monitoring plots showed an increase of both native and weed species in 2018 when compared to previous years. Changes in diversity and abundance are a normal feature of grassy woodland environments, as variability in the timing and amount of rainfall influences species presence. The prolonged dry conditions experienced in the Hunter Valley over the past two years are clearly reflected in the number of species present within the MAs. Rainfall data from the nearby township of Bulga shows the limited amount of rain received throughout most of 2018 to date, with only the month of October receiving above average falls, and with a similar situation occurring during 2017. With the 2018 monitoring program, a new experiment has been established and baseline data tabulated from twelve plots (6 treatment, 6 control) within WMMA # 1. These plots aim to quantify how emerging and expanding thickets of Acacia pendula ramets may be impacting upon co-occurring species within grassland and woodland environments, and will be monitored on an annual basis. Future monitoring of the WMMAs should continue to address the general health of Weeping Myall plants, together with annual re-surveying the floristic composition of the two monitoring plots. In addition, the following recommendations are made: annual monitoring in Spring of newly installed growth experiment plots, to record floristic composition, and density and size of Acacia pendula ramets. continue to informally monitor for flowering on individual Acacia pendula trees, in the event that a second flowering event occurs over the next twelve months. ii Table of Contents Summary .......................................................................................................................................................... ii 1. Background............................................................................................................................................... 1 2. Study Area ................................................................................................................................................ 2 3. Methods ................................................................................................................................................... 2 3.1 Population Counts & Health Assessments ........................................................................................ 2 3.2 Floristic Associations......................................................................................................................... 2 3.3 Monitoring of Developing Acacia Thickets ....................................................................................... 3 4. Results ...................................................................................................................................................... 5 4.1 Population Assessment..................................................................................................................... 5 4.2 Health Assessment ........................................................................................................................... 5 4.3 Floristic Associations......................................................................................................................... 7 4.4 Monitoring of Acacia Thickets .......................................................................................................... 9 4.4.1 Density and Size of Acacia Stems .............................................................................................. 9 4.4.2 Extent of Bare Ground ............................................................................................................ 10 4.4.3 Floristic Composition .............................................................................................................. 10 5. Discussion ............................................................................................................................................... 11 6. Recommendations.................................................................................................................................. 12 7. References .............................................................................................................................................. 13 8. Appendices ............................................................................................................................................. 14 8.1 Floristic Plot Species List: 2015 to 2018 .......................................................................................... 14 8.2 Floristic Plot Photographs: 2015 and 2018 ..................................................................................... 18 8.3 Growth Plot Photographs: Baseline ................................................................................................ 26 iii 1. Background Under current legislation, Weeping Myall (Acacia pendula) is listed as an Endangered Population within the Hunter Valley under the NSW Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016 (BC Act). It is also considered a significant component of the Critically Endangered Hunter Valley Weeping Myall Woodland, listed as such on both the BC Act and the Commonwealth Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act). Recent conjecture on the origin of Weeping Myall plants in the Hunter, and consequently the legitimacy of Hunter Valley Weeping Myall Woodland as a threatened community, has questioned the importance of conserving these plants (Bell & Driscoll 2014, 2016; Tozer & Chalmers 2015, 2016). Despite this, the NSW Scientific Committee (2016) has resolved to retain the current listings for both the endangered population and community, and consequently the continued monitoring of the Weeping Myall Management Area reported here remains appropriate. As part of previous development approvals, Bulga Surface Operations (Bulga Coal) set aside land to protect both the species (Weeping Myall) and the community (Hunter Valley Weeping Myall Woodland) within two Weeping Myall Management Areas (WMMAs). Neither of these land parcels form part of any formal biodiversity offset, but both have had fencing installed around them to exclude stock grazing. A management plan has been prepared for this land (Bulga Coal undated), within which the monitoring objectives for Weeping Myall are outlined: provide an updated count of Weeping Myall within each Management Area; provide information regarding the health of individuals and the population; establish permanent photo point monitoring; collect floristic data to identify if native species (other than Weeping Myall) are also responding to management activities; provide information regarding any weed or pest species that require management (and recommendations on suitable management actions); and provide any other maintenance requirements. Umwelt (2013) presented background data and reporting on the WMMAs, stating that the northern stand (WMMA # 1) supported relatively young trees, but that the southern stand (WMMA # 2) comprised very mature trees with no young plants. They reported that WMMA # 1 comprised between 1500 and 1800 juvenile trees and two dead mature trees, while WMMA # 2 contained twelve mature trees. Bell (2016) undertook the first annual monitoring event after establishment of the WMMAs, and documented that the earlier estimates of nearly 2000 individuals were a gross over- representation. That assessment was shown to actually be a count of ramets (‘branches’) rather than gamets (genetic individuals). A more accurate figure of around 46 individuals