Assessment of Grey Box Grey Gum Wet Sclerophyll Forest TEC on NSW Crown Forest Estate

Operational map:

The operational map for Grey Box Grey Gum Wet Sclerophyll Forest (GBWS) was constructed to resolve long-standing issues surrounding its identification, location and extent within the NSW State Forest estate covered by the eastern Regional Forest Agreements. The project’s Threatened Ecological Community (TEC) Reference Panel (the Panel) interpreted the determination for GBWS and agreed that GBWS TEC is defined from quantitative floristic analyses of systematic plot data. Based on a strong association with the determination assemblage list and documented occurrences referenced in the determination, we have interpreted GBWS to be equivalent to a community described in a recent classification study in the Northern Rivers (OEH, 2012); 1000-1665: (Grey Gum - Grey Box - Hoop Pine shrubby open forest on hinterland hills of the Richmond and Clarence catchments, South Eastern Queensland Bioregion and NSW North Coast Bioregion). We conducted plot-based floristic comparison to assess whether GBWS or the equivalent Community 1000-1665 was present within 800 000 hectares of State Forest in the North Coast area. A map was developed based on plot assignments, aerial photography interpreted map polygons delineated from overstorey and understorey patterns, and results of predictive modelling. In total, we identified approximately 2936 hectares of GBWS TEC in State forests north from Cherry Tree State Forest. Another state forest area has been identified as potentially supporting GBWS forest and is presented in a separate Indicative map.

Indicative map:

The indicative map for Grey Box Grey Gum Wet Sclerophyll Forest (GBWS) was constructed to resolve long-standing issues surrounding its identification, location and extent within the NSW State Forest estate covered by the eastern Regional Forest Agreements. The project’s Threatened Ecological Community (TEC) Reference Panel (the Panel) interpreted the determination for GBWS and agreed that GBWS TEC is defined from quantitative floristic analyses of systematic plot data. Based on a strong association with the determination assemblage list and documented occurrences referenced in the determination, we have interpreted GBWS to be equivalent to a community described in a recent classification study in the Northern Rivers (OEH, 2012); 1000-1665: (Grey Gum - Grey Box - Hoop Pine shrubby open forest on hinterland hills of the Richmond and Clarence catchments, South Eastern Queensland Bioregion and NSW North Coast Bioregion). We conducted plot-based floristic comparison to assess whether GBWS or the equivalent Community 1000-1665 was present within 800 000 hectares of State Forest in the North Coast area. A map was developed based on plot assignments, aerial photography interpreted map polygons delineated from overstorey and understorey patterns, and results of predictive modelling. In total, we identified approximately 2936 hectares of GBWS TEC in State forests north from Cherry Tree State Forest. However, we also assigned three plots to GBWS, which are disjunct from and well outside the previously known distribution, to the south. Of the three disjunct plots, only one is in our state forest study area, in Nymboida state forest. We have no evidence that GBWS occurs south of Nymboida state forest. We identify Nymboida and Kangaroo River state forests in this Indicative Map, as plausible locations for the GBWS TEC. We recommend the GBWS TEC in these areas be diagnosed on a site-by-site basis using our field key until further survey and mapping can be completed in these forests.

Operational TEC Mapping have been derived by API at a viewing scale between 1-4000 using ADS40 50 cm pixel imagery and 1 m derived LIDAR DEM grids for floodplain EECs.

Indicative TEC Mapping have been generated from best available composite environmental data layers - standardised to 30 m pixels.