Surf Wiki
Save to docs
geography

From Surf Wiki (app.surf) — the open knowledge base

Blue Gum High Forest

Forest in Sydney, Australia

Blue Gum High Forest

Forest in Sydney, Australia

FieldValue
nameBlue Gum High Forest
imageSydney Blue Gum Forest Westleigh.jpg
biogeographic_realmAustralasia
biomeTemperate broadleaf and mixed forests
border1Cumberland Plain Woodland
border2Sydney Turpentine-Ironbark Forest
border3Sydney Sandstone Ridgetop Woodland
elevation70 –
countryAustralia
coordinates
climateHumid subtropical climate (Cfa)

The Blue Gum High Forest of the Sydney Basin Bioregion is a wet sclerophyll forest found in the northern parts of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It has been classified as critically endangered, under the New South Wales government's Threatened Species Conservation Act 1995. The principal canopy trees in this forest community are Sydney blue gum and blackbutt which are usually seen between 20 and 40 metres tall. 180 species of indigenous plants have been identified at Dalrymple-Hay Nature Reserve.

Distribution

The Blue Gum High Forest is restricted to the northern parts of Sydney, on soils based on shale with an annual rainfall over 1100 mm (43 in). Much of it grew on the ridge tops, roughly following the present day Pacific Highway from around Crows Nest up to Hornsby. Also it was recorded on soils based on the Mittagong Formation, volcanic diatremes and exposed shale lenses within the Hawkesbury Sandstone. Blue Gum High Forest grades into Turpentine-Ironbark Forest in drier areas of lower rainfall.

Remnants are found as far west as West Pennant Hills and Eastwood, though most of the few remaining areas are in suburbs such as Pymble, Turramurra and Wahroonga. Turiban Reserve in Wahroonga has particularly tall trees. Two of the larger forest remnants are Dalrymple-Hay Nature Reserve and Sheldon Forest. Around one percent of the original forest remains, and the current remnants amount to an area of 136 hectares (336 acres).

Ecological status

Due to fragmentation and the surrounding urban area, the forest remnants are constantly under threat from invasive plant species. Bush regeneration programs have been put in place for many years. Significant species include Wandering Jew, Madeira vine, passionfruit vine, Chinese privet, ochna and camphor laurel.

Fauna

[[Sheldon Forest

Ring-tail possums, sugar gliders, brushtail possums and grey-headed flying foxes are common. There are occasional sightings of wallabies.

Birds include rainbow lorikeet (Trichoglossus moluccanus), Australian king parrot (Alisterus scapularis), crimson rosella (Platycercus elegans), currawongs, variegated fairywren (Malurus lamberti), black-faced cuckoo-shrike (Coracina novaehollandiae), superb fairywren (Malurus cyaneus), powerful owl (Ninox strenua), glossy black cockatoo (Calyptorhynchus lathami) and silvereyes.

The yellow-bellied sheathtail-bat (Saccolaimus flaviventris) is present though seldom seen.

Flora

Common nameBotanical nameApprox. heightPlantnetPrincipal tree speciesAssociated tree speciesUnderstorey tree speciesShrub speciesHerbs, grasses and fernsVinesOther species
Sydney blue gumEucalyptus saligna20–40 metresdetails
BlackbuttEucalyptus pilularis25–45 metresdetails
Sydney red gumAngophora costata15–35 metresdetails
Grey gumEucalyptus punctata20–30 metresdetails
White mahoganyEucalyptus acmenoides20–30 metresdetails
Red mahoganyEucalyptus resinifera20–30 metresdetails
TurpentineSyncarpia glomulifera20–30 metresdetails
Grey ironbarkEucalyptus paniculata20–35 metresdetails
White stringybarkEucalyptus globoidea15–30 metresdetails
Forest oakAllocasuarina torulosa6–15 metresdetails
Sweet pittosporumPittosporum undulatumto 15 metresdetails
Blueberry ashElaeocarpus reticulatusto 15 metresdetails
HickoryAcacia implexato 10 metresdetails
Lilly PillyAcmena smithiito 10 metresdetails
Hairy clerodendrumClerodendrum tomentosumto 10 metresdetails
Coffee bushBreynia oblongifoliato 3 metresdetails
Sydney golden wattleAcacia longifoliato 8 metresdetails
Myrtle wattleAcacia myrtifolia0.3–3 metresdetails
Bleeding heartHomalanthus populifolius0.5–5 metres details
Sweet bursariaBursaria spinosato 10 metresdetails
Gorse bitter-peaDaviesia ulicifoliato 2 metresdetails
Mock oliveNotelaea venosato 9 metresdetails
Common hop bushDodonaea triquetrato 3 metresdetails
Cherry ballartExocarpos cupressiformisto 8 metresdetails
Variable muttonwoodMyrsine variabilisto 8 metresdetails
Yellow pittosporumPittosporum revolutumto 3 metresdetails
MuttonwoodMyrsine howittianato 8 metresdetails
Narrow-leaved orangebarkDenhamia silvestristo 4 metresdetails
Australian indigoIndigofera australisto 2.5 metresdetails
Tick bushKunzea ambiguato 3.5 metresdetails
Tussock grassPoa affinisdetails
False brackenCalochlaena dubiadetails
Maidenhair fernAdiantum aethiopicumdetails
Gristle fernBlechnum cartilagineumdetails
Sickle fernPellaea falcatadetails
Pixie CapsAcianthus fornicatusdetails
Kidney weedDichondra repensdetails
Lilac lilySchelhammera undulatadetails
Ivy GoodeniaGoodenia hederaceadetails
Blady grassImperata cylindricadetails
Australian ClematisClematis aristatadetails
Wombat berryEustrephus latifoliusdetails
Bearded tylophoraVincetoxicum barbatum (syn. Tylophora barbata)details
Scented milk vineLeichhardtia suaveolens (syn. Marsdenia suaveolens)details
Dusky coral peaKennedia rubicundadetails
Five leaf water vineCissus hypoglaucadetails
Twining GlycineGlycine clandestinadetails
Wonga wonga vinePandorea pandoranadetails

References

References

  1. "Sydney Blue Gum High Forest". Environment.gov.au.
  2. "Best practice guidelines for Blue Gum High Forest".
  3. National Parks & Wildlife Service, info from a Field Officer
  4. "Blue Gum High Forest of the Sydney Basin Bioregion". Australian Government.
Info: Wikipedia Source

This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page.

geography-of-sydney forests-of-new-south-wales eastern-australian-temperate-forests sclerophyll-forests
Want to explore this topic further?

Ask Mako anything about Blue Gum High Forest — get instant answers, deeper analysis, and related topics.

Research with Mako

Free with your Surf account

Content sourced from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

This content may have been generated or modified by AI. CloudSurf Software LLC is not responsible for the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of AI-generated content. Always verify important information from primary sources.

Report