Abstract
In 1949 the area of mature Eucalyptus regnans
F.Muell1 (the Big Ash) on the Hume Range, Victoria, was
a largely even-aged 230-year-old forest with a component of the overstorey
derived from a fire in 1851. Subsequent fires have resulted in patchy
regeneration where suitable gaps in the overstorey were present. In 1949 three
main types of the understorey were present: type A, mature
Pomaderris aspera; type B, dense immature
Pomaderris aspera; and type C, coppiced
Olearia argophylla and
Bedfordia arborescens. In type A, ground fern was patchy
and statistically correlated with patches of lower density
Pomaderris aspera. Over a period of 48 years the
eucalypt overstorey has been depleted by death and windthrow while understorey
trees and shrubs have been severely damaged by sporadic heavy snowfalls and
insect and fungal attack. The type A understorey is now showing signs of
changing to Olearia argophylla dominance and the cover
of ground fern and tree fern strata has doubled to more than 80% over
this period in spite of damage caused by infrequent, but severe, droughts. The
type B understorey is now mature and resembles type A, while the type C
understorey shows invasion by Pomaderris aspera and
regeneration of Olearia argophylla. No successful
establishment of E. regnans has occurred. The rainforest
in the gullies consists of alternating patches of forest and tree fern groves,
the latter, together with rotting logs and upthrown root balls, providing
niches for rainforest tree establishment. In swampy flats of
Leptospermum grandifolium on the plateau
Atherosperma moschatum is becoming increasingly
dominant. Atherosperma moschatum is also invading mature
understorey adjacent to riparian communities. This species and
Olearia argophylla may constitute the final stage of the
long secondary succession after fire in the Big Ash area. However, the Hume
Range is adjacent to drier foothills and plains to the north, west and south.
Whether the Big Ash will be spared from fire in future centuries is very
doubtful.
Subject
Plant Science,Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics
Cited by
64 articles.
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