still meet the criteria of being an EEC and have EECs that may adjoin conservation value for a number of reasons or intergrade with River- including: Angophora flat Eucalypt Forest 1. Being part of a wildlife corridor that has River-flat Eucalypt Forest floribunda This community occurs with, would have connective importance at local and/or regional previously occurred with, or closely resembles scales; on Coastal Floodplain other Coastal Floodplain vegetation types which 2. Providing important winter feed trees for are also listed as EECs. Collectively, these EECs arboreal mammals and birds; cover all remaining native vegetation on the 3. Providing a ‘stepping stone’ for fauna in an Angophora coastal floodplains of NSW. These EECs are: otherwise cleared landscape; Where is River-flat subvelutina 1. Sub-tropical Coastal Floodplain Forest north of 4. Providing significant habitat components Eucalypt Forest found? Port Stephens. They may be distinguished by the such as hollow bearing trees important to the River-flat Eucalypt Forest occurs on the presence of Brush Box (Lophostemon suaveolens) life cycle of migratory, non-migratory and/or L. McKinnon flats, drainage lines and river terraces and Pink Bloodwood (Corymbia intermedia); nomadic species; of coastal floodplains where flooding is 2. Swamp Oak Floodplain Forest where there is 5. Containing threatened flora; and/or periodic and where soils are generally increasing estuarine influence; 6. Maintaining a healthy native seed bank, rich in silt, lack deep humic layers and 3. Swamp Sclerophyll Forest on Coastal which is very important in a highly cleared have little or no saline (salt) influence. Floodplains where soils become more landscape. It occurs south from Port Stephens in Eucalyptus waterlogged; the NSW North Coast, Sydney Basin baueriana It is important to take these factors into account 4. Freshwater Wetlands on Coastal Floodplains and South East Corner bioregions as when determining the conservation significance mapped below. where they adjoin more permanent standing of remnants. water; and River-flat Eucalypt forest with an open understorey and few shrubs 5. Lowland Rainforest on Floodplain on more For further assistance basaltic type soils in the NSW North Coast bioregion. This and other EEC guidelines are available Introduction on DECC Threatened Species website Eucalyptus These guidelines provide background threatenedspecies.environment.nsw.gov.au/ elata Determining the information to assist landholders and conservation value of The references listed below also provide further approval authorities to identify remnants information to aid in identifying EECs. of River-flat Eucalypt Forest on Coastal remnants Floodplains (hereafter referred to as • Botanic Gardens Trust plant identification River-flat Eucalypt Forest), an Endangered The degree of disturbance (i.e. the site assistance: rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/information_ Ecological Community (EEC). For more condition) of any remnant of River-flat about_plants/botanical_info/plant_ detailed information, refer to the River- Eucalypt Forest may vary depending on past identification land use, management practices and/or natural flat Eucalypt Forest profile and the NSW Eucalyptus disturbance and this should be considered at the • Botanic Gardens Trust PlantNET: Scientific Committee Final Determination at: amplifolia time of assessment. Whilst not exhaustive, the plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/search/simple.htm threatenedspecies.environment.nsw.gov.au Potential occurrence of River-flat Eucalypt Forest following are a number of variations of River-flat • Brooker, M. and Kleinig, D. (1990) Field Eucalypt Forest you may encounter: Guide to Eucalypts of South-eastern Australia, Vol 2. Inkata, Melbourne. What is an Endangered Ecological 1. Tree canopy present with limited native Community? What is the Coastal vegetation in the understorey, due to under- • Harden, G. (ed) Flora of NSW Vols 1 – 4 Floodplain? (1990-2002). NSW University Press. An ecological community is an assemblage of species scrubbing, stock grazing pressure, too-frequent Floodplains are level landform patterns • Harden, G., McDonald, W. and Williams, J. which can include flora, fauna and other living organisms fire or invasion by weeds; on which there may be active erosion (2006) Rainforest Trees and Shrubs – A Field that occur together in a particular area. They are Eucalyptus 2. Tree canopy generally absent due to prior and deposition of sediment by flooding Guide to their identification. Gwen Harden generally recognised by the trees, shrubs and groundcover tereticornis clearing or fire, with occurrence of regrowth of where the average interval is 100 years Publishing, Nambucca Heads. plants that live there. An Endangered Ecological native trees and shrubs and possibly weeds; Community is an ecological community listed as facing a or less. • NSW Scientific Committee Determinations: 3. Some characteristic tree canopy species very high risk of extinction in NSW under the Threatened Coastal floodplains include coastal river absent due to past selective clearing; nationalparks.nsw.gov.au/npws.nsf/Content/ Species Conservation Act 1995. Final+determinations valleys, alluvial flats and drainage lines 4. As a fragmented remnant of Eucalypts, due below the escarpment of the Great • Thackway, R, and Cresswell, I. (1995)(eds) to clearing of adjoining vegetation; or What is River-flat Eucalypt Forest? Dividing Range. While most floodplains ‘An interim biogeogeographic regionalisation River-flat Eucalypt Forest is a tall mixed open forest are below 20m in elevation, some may 5. As a remnant that no longer floods due flood of Australia: a framework for establishing to woodland occurring on river flats and terraces in occur on localised river flats up to mitigation or drainage works. the national system of reserves.’ (Australian Melaleuca the central to upper parts of coastal floodplains. It is 250m elevation. Compared with the Nature Conservation Agency: Canberra). decora Even where a remnant is considered to be distinguished from other floodplain EECs by its dominance surrounding landscape, floodplains are heavily degraded and in poor condition, it may of either a mixed or single species eucalypt tree layer generally quite flat. However, there may (including Angophoras), with few She-oak (Casuarina) be local variation associated with river or Swamp Mahogany (Eucalyptus robusta) trees, and a channels, local depressions, natural Disclaimer: The Department of Environment and Climate Change has prepared this document as a guide only. The prominent groundcover of soft leaved herbs and grasses. levees and river terraces. The latter are information provided is not intended to be exhaustive. It does not constitute legal advice. Users of this guide should do so On river-flats adjacent to tidal areas, where occasional areas that rarely flood anymore due to at their own risk and should seek their own legal and other expert advice in identifying endangered ecological communities. flooding with brackish water may occur, the understorey deepening or widening of streams. The Department of Environment and Climate Change accepts no responsibility for errors or omissions in this guide or for may be replaced by salt-tolerant rushes and herbs. any loss or damage arising from its use. Melaleuca styphelioides Department of Environment and Climate Change 1300 361 967 Communities Ecological for Endangered Guidelines Identification environment.nsw.gov.au Illustrations © Botanic [email protected] | December 07 Gardens Trust ISBN 9 781 74122 664 5 DECC 2007/553 1 1 Description of the Characteristic Species List community River-flat Eucalypt Forest is characterised by the species listed below. The species present at any site will be influenced by A. Burrows A. Burrows A. Burrows Characteristic species L. McKinnon the size of the site, recent rainfall or drought conditions and by its disturbance (including fire and logging) history. Note that NOT ALL the species listed below need to be present at any one site for it to constitute River-flat Eucalypt Forest. A list of trees, shrubs and ground cover species that characterise River-flat Eucalypt Forest have Scientific Name Common Name (Range) Scientific Name Common Name (Range) Melaleuca stypheloides Viola hederacea been identified by the NSW Scientifc Committee Hardenbergia violacea Tree Canopy Species (>6m) Groundcover (~0-1.5m), Vines & Scramblers (see table). Angophora floribunda Rough-barked Apple Herbs / Ferns Angophora subvelutina Broad-leaved Apple + Euchiton sphaericus Cudweed The tree layer (N-Sho) Eustrephus latifolius Wambat Berry The tree layer of River-Flat Eucalypt Forest varies Casuarina cunninghamiana River Oak Galium propinquum Maori Bedstraw + considerably across its range, but the most widespread subsp. cunninghamiana Geranium solanderi Native Geranium and dominant trees include Forest Red Gum (Eucalyptus Casuarina glauca Swamp Oak Hydrocotyle peduncularis Native Pennywort L. McKinnon tereticornis), Cabbage Gum (E. amplifolia), Rough-barked Eucalyptus amplifolia Cabbage Gum + Hypolepis muelleri Harsh Ground Fern Apple (Angophora floribunda) and Broad-leaved Apple Eucalyptus baueriana Blue Box (S-Haw) Opercularia diphylla Stinkweed (A. subvelutina). Common species south of Sydney are Eucalyptus benthamii Camden White Gum (R) Oxalis perannans Native Sorrel + Blue Box (E. baueriana), Bangalay (E. botryoides) and Eucalyptus botryoides Bangalay (S-Hun) Persicaria decipiens Slender Knotweed River Peppermint (E. elata). Swamp Gum