Department of Parks and Wildlife Science & Conservation Division FORESTCHECK REPORT OF PROGRESS 2014 i Produced by the Department of Parks and Wildlife, Kensington, Western Australia, June 2016 Copyright: © Department of Parks and Wildlife 2016 Compiled by: Richard Robinson and Verna Tunsell Science Division Department of Parks and Wildlife Manjimup Western Australia This report highlights preliminary results for FORESTCHECK monitoring, determined by basic analysis and field observation, for the year 2014. This and previous FORESTCHECK Annual Reports should not be quoted or used as final results for the FORESTCHECK program. Publications based on detailed analyses using comprehensive statistical methods are published on a 5-year basis. All FORESTCHECK publications and reports are available on the Department of Parks and Wildlife web site at www.dpaw.wa.gov.au . Cover photos: The filmstrip represents biota monitored in FORESTCHECK: from left, forest structure and coarse woody debris, reptiles, macrofungi, invertebrates, lichens, mammals, birds and vascular flora. Main photo: mature virgin reference forest at Hunt forest block. Above left, Banksia (Dryandra) sessilis; centre left, Lecidea ochroleuca (crustose lichen) and bottom left, Parks and Wildlife animal handlers Renee Ettridge and Graeme Liddelow trapping small mammals at Hunt block (photos: R. Robinson). ii CONTENTS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 1 INTRODUCTION 3 FOREST STRUCTURE AND REGENERATION STOCKING 11 COARSE WOODY DEBRIS, SMALL WOOD AND TWIGS, AND LITTER 24 MACROFUNGI 30 CRYPTOGAMS 43 VASCULAR PLANTS 57 INVERTEBRATES 72 DIURNAL AND NOCTURNAL BIRDS 94 MAMMALS AND HERPETOFAUNA 101 DATA MANAGEMENT AND STORAGE 114 INVERTEBRATES (2013) — supplement for 2013 FORESTCHECK Report 118 iii EXECUTIVE SUMMARY In 2014, seven new FORESTCHECK monitoring grids were established and monitored in the Sandy Basins forest ecosystem in Blackwood District. All are within the Wilga vegetation complex which is characterised as woodland of Eucalyptus marginata subsp. marginata– Corymbia calophylla on sandy gravels on low divides in the subhumid zone of the jarrah forest. Three grids are south of Wilga within Wilga and Jolly forest blocks and four east of Wilga in the Hunt and Camballan forest blocks, in forest that was either uncut or subject to timber harvesting (shelterwood and gap release treatments) under SFM Guideline No. 1. Four harvested grids and two fauna habitat zones are located in State forest and one external reference grid in proposed conservation park. Harvested sites were matched to 2007 harvest activities and all were subject to prescribed fire the same year. External reference grids at Jolly and Camballan were burnt by prescribed fire in 2005. The Hunt external reference grid was previously burnt in 1995, and subject to prescribed fire in spring 2014 during the monitoring period. Two additional grids, one each in Plavins and Amphion forest blocks, were also established in the Perth Hills District. Combined with the existing grid in Kennedy block (FC24, established in 2003) they create a time-since-fire series (81, 39 and 9 years since fire) in forest that was last subject to selective harvesting 75–94 years ago. All three grids are in the Dwellingup 1 vegetation complex of the jarrah forest which is characterised as open forest of Eucalyptus marginata subsp. marginata–Corymbia calophylla on lateritic uplands in mainly humid and sub- humid zones. At all grids, forest attributes including forest structure, regeneration stocking, coarse woody debris and litter loads were measured and species richness and abundances of macrofungi, cryptogams (lichens and bryophytes), invertebrates, terrestrial vertebrates and vascular plants were recorded. FORESTCHECK monitoring is contributing to increased knowledge of jarrah forest biodiversity and ecology, and underpins the concept of sustainable forest management in jarrah forest in Western Australia. The results presented here provide a preliminary analysis of the data. Highlights from monitoring undertaken in Blackwood District in 2014 include: Stands have a lower basal area and trees are generally smaller than those in higher rainfall areas of jarrah forest, with even mature stands having relatively few trees larger than 70cm dbh. However, lignotuberous advance growth of jarrah and marri was abundant allowing stands to regenerate readily following timber harvesting. The volume of coarse woody debris (CWD) in harvested grids was substantially greater than in unharvested reference grids (consistent with previous findings from surveys of the initial 48 grids), but litter loads at both Wilga/Jolly and Hunt are lower than in more productive stands in higher rainfall areas of the jarrah forest. The diversity and abundance of macrofungi in the Jarrah Sandy Basins was low compared to other ecosystems monitored. The richness and abundance of mycorrhizal species was similar in all treatments but saprotrophic species were 2–3 times higher in harvested treatments compared to external reference grids. Mean species richness per grid for lichens, mosses and liverworts was similar in all treatments. The majority of cryptogams were recorded on the ground with crustose lichens being the dominant life-form. The overall mean species richness of plants was similar in all treatments, but the mean abundance of plants was consistently lower in the harvested grids compared to the external reference grids. Variation in richness and abundance of invertebrates between sample grids was high relative to differences between treatments indicating no significant influence by silvicultural treatments. Leaf gleaning, and branch and trunk feeding species made up for the majority of birds recorded during the survey period. Leaf gleaning species were similar across all treatments, but birds like scarlet and western yellow robins that prefer a more open understorey were more prevalent in external reference grids. 1 Brush-tailed pussums accounted for 35% of the total animals recorded on the grids. Their presence was impacted by silvicultural treatment with 65%, 34% and 6% of records being in the external reference, sheltwerwood and gap release treatments respectively. In contrast 64% of dunnart records were in the harvested treatments. Highlights from surveys on fire chronsequence grids in Perth Hills District in 2014 include: Thick bark accumulated on trees in the absence of fire for long periods should be recognised as an important component of the fuel load available for combustion, particularly under dry summer conditions. The very large volume of CWD at the very long unburnt (81 years) Amphion grid, compared with the Kennedy (39 years) and Plavins (9 years) grids, demonstrates clearly the critical role that fire history plays in the amount and condition of CWD in the jarrah forest. The rate of litter accumulation declines as time since fire increases but bark and CWD may continue to accumulate well after the litter load has attained an equilibrium loading. With increasing time since fire, litter accumulation may impact ground dwelling cryptogams but, larger logs and retention of CWD has the potential to provide habitat for wood dwelling cryptogams. Time since fire appeared to have a significant effect on species richness and abundance of plants with species richness declining but abundance increasing with time since fire. The structure of the understorey vegetation also became sparse and contained more dead material with increasing time since fire. Invertebrate species composition is affected by time since fire, but the influence is complex and needs further investigation. Leaf gleaning, and branch and trunk feeding species made up for the majority of birds recorded, and leaf gleaning species were generally similar on all grids. Although there were suitable habitat trees with hollows on all three grids, 82% of the brush-tailed possums recorded were on the intermediate (39 years) fire aged grid at Kennedy block. Mardos favoured the deep litter layer on the longest unburnt (81 years) grid at Amphion block, with 91% of the total individuals recorded there. The FORESTCHECK team is to be commended for their commitment to the project. I also extend my sincere thanks to the many volunteers who have assisted with the project. In 2016 analysis of the previous 10 years of data will be undertaken. This report, and previous reports, can be viewed and downloaded from the Department of Parks and Wildlife website at www.dpaw.wa.gov.au . Dr Margaret Byrne Director Science and Conservation Division June 2016 2 INTRODUCTION Scope This report provides a summary of activities from the FORESTCHECK monitoring project during 2014. The aim of the report is to detail activities carried out in 2014 in the Jarrah Sandy Basins forest ecosystem in the eastern part of the Blackwood District and to present preliminary descriptive interpretations and analyses of the data collected. Data are also presented from three grids in the Jarrah North West ecosystem in Perth Hills District that provide a chronosequence of 81, 39 and 9 years since the last fire. More detailed and robust analyses are conducted on a five-year basis and following the peer-review process are published in relevant scientific journals. Previous reports and publications can be viewed at www.dpaw.wa.gov.au . FORESTCHECK is an integrated monitoring system that has been developed to provide information to forest managers in the southwest of Western Australia about changes and trends in key elements of forest biodiversity associated