Wombat State Forest
Encyclopedia
The Wombat State Forest (locally: Bullarook) is located 50 kilometres (31.1 mi) west of Melbourne
, Victoria
, Australia
, between Woodend
and Daylesford
, at the Great Dividing Range
. The forest is approximately 70000 hectares (172,973.6 acre) in size and sits upon Ordovician or Tertiary sediments. The Bullarook Wombat State Forest was proclaimed in 1871.
The only initiative in Australia to introduce community forestry
, within the internationally understood context, is in the Wombat State Forest. It is managed by the Department of Sustainability and Environment. The management plan covers several areas such as firewood and other products; protection of water supplies, conservation of biodiversity, and conservation of landscape. Other areas of importance include cultural heritage, research, education, tourism, recreation, mineral exploration, mining, and grazing.
peoples inhabited the area that is now state forest land. In its early days prior to European settlement, it probably extended to a much larger area than it does today.
19th century
Much of the forest lands was logged out during the gold rush
era of the mid 1800s. During this time, the forest was intensively logged, the wood products used as tunnel supports, sleepers for tramways, lining of mining shafts, to fire mine boilers, piles for piers and docks, electric poles, heavy construction timbers and fuel wood. It was only in 1860 that the 1860 Land Act (Section 80) was created, prohibiting the slashing and subtraction of trees. Eleven years later, in 1871, the Wombat State Forest was established.
By 1884, there were 36 saw mills in operation in the Wombat and Bullarook Forests, the wood having been shipped to Melbourne, Sandhurst, and Ballarat. There was little or no reproduction and the young trees were burned. This eventually resulted in what is termed as “ruined forest”, the forest remaining in that state for several decades without any agricultural operations allowed.
20th century
As the forest was almost abandoned after the gold rush period, a regeneration process emerged. This activity plateaued in the 1960s when shelter wood logging came into effect for silviculture
, resulting in more deforestation. However, in the 1970s and 80s, the area was designated as the "Midlands Forest Management Area" which included the planting of pine trees for commercial exploitation.
When in 2001, the local community published its own findings about the forest's sustainable management, it became an example of community involvement in a state-run management plan. In 2010, community groups fears were raised that logging could resume in the forest because the State Government allocated logging licenses in western Victoria.
to Mount Macedon
. There are about 400 volcanoes in a stretch that extends from Kilmore
in the north to Mt Gambier in South Australia
. Mount Babbington, Mount Wilson and Blue Mount are extinct volcanoes within the forest.
The prevalent geological make up is of Ordovician
or Tertiary
sediments. The rock types are of volcanic origin, dated to the Palaeozoic era. Quaternary
basalts, all of volcanic origin, constituted the forested land to the west of the Wombat State Forest. These lands were converted to agricultural zone due to the suitability to grow crops under abundant rainfall conditions. However, Ordovician or sedimentary soils, due to its poor soil conditions for farming, have remained undisturbed. The geological evolution belongs to the Quaternary period of the Cainozoic Era which has emerged from an “ash dominated rainforest
to dry sclerophyll forest”. The preceding geological evolutions in the order of their ascending order of dating are: the Palaeozoic Era, the Precambrian Era
, and the Mesozoic Era.
The Wombat State Forest contains the headwaters of the Lerderderg
, Campaspe
and Loddon
rivers. A notable feature in the forest is the extent of mineral springs which is said to account for 80% of Australia’s mineral springs. The mineral waters are rich in calcium, silica, magnesium, iron and sulphur. The volcanic activity of the region has supplemented the creation of mineral water- carbon dioxide mix that is seen in the form of bubbles emerging from the springs.
Fauna
The forest's faunal era emerged during the Precambrian Era, initially with cyanobacteria (Blue Green Algae) and soft bodied marine organisms. These were followed by the Cambrian Period with Metazoans dominating the sea, followed by the earliest vertebrates of the Ordovician Period, the Carboniferous/Permian Period of insects, Triassic Period of early small dinosaurs, Jurassic Period of dinosaurs, Cretaceous Period, Palaeocene Period of mammals, Oligocene Period
of early primates, Miocene Period of possums, kangaroos
, koalas, bats
, snakes, crocodiles and birds, and finally the Holocene Period
of human civilization.
The native fauna consists of marsupials and monotremes, reptiles, amphibians, bats
and birds. The Greater Glider (Petauroides volans) is the largest possum found in this forest. It has furry hair with the colour varying from grey to cream and with a pale underside. It has a large snout and large ears. Its range is in the western part of the Wombat State Forest. Several state-listed threatened bird species occur in the forest including the Great Egret
, Intermediate Egret
, Grey Goshawk
, Australian Masked Owl, Powerful Owl
and Square-tailed Kite
. Additionally, the forest is the western extent of the range of the Red-browed Treecreeper
and Olive Whistler
.
Flora
During the forest's geological evolutionary process, flora initially emerged in oceans 630 million years ago. This was followed by plants emerging in late Ordovician Period and early Silurian Period. They were succeeded by the Jurassic Period of Ancient Flora (including Gondwana
Cretaceous Period and West Gondwana
) as is evidenced in Australia with the emergence of conifers. The Palaeocene Period of tree species was succeeded by the Eocene Period
of grasses which was followed by rain forests. With the Miocene Period
, eucalypt
forests emerged, followed by the Pliocene Period
of cooler climate with some northern tropical species emerging, and finally followed by the Quaternary Period of dry climate with dry vegetation.
The native flora broadly consist of small medium and tall trees; shrubs of varying sizes; climbers; native herbs/forbs, grasses; rushes, sedges and aquatics; lilies, ferns and orchids. The open forest is dominated by a number of eucalypt species including Messmate
(Eucalyptus obliqua), Broad-leaf Peppermint
(E. dives), Narrow-leaf Peppermint
(E. radiata), Manna Gum (E. viminalis) and Candlebark
(E. rubida). Swamp Gum
(Eucalyptus ovata) and Yarra Gum
(E. yarraensis) are also present in the forest.
Armillaria luteobubalina
, a fungus that causes forest dieback
, has occurred in mixed eucalyptus
stands following partial cutting. The forest is also a rich storehouse of 111 fungal species spread over its wide and varying habitats. These include “native and introduced species as well as a selection of lichenised fungi and myxomycetes (slime moulds).”
Rare or threatened plant species of record include Wiry Bossiaea
(Bossiaea cordigera), Matted Flax-lily (Dianella amoena), Brooker’s Gum
(Eucalyptus brookeriana), Fryerstown Grevillea
(Grevillea obtecta), Creeping Grevillea
(G. repens), Hairy Beard-heath (Leucopogon microphyllus var. pilibundus), Satinwood
(Nematolepis squamea subsp. squamea), Small Sickle Greenhood (Pterostylis lustra), Scented Bush-pea (Pultenaea graveolens) as well as two endemic species Wombat Leafless Bossiaea
(Bossiaea vombata) and Wombat Bush-pea (Pultenaea reflexifolia var.
reflexifolia).
es (EVCs) being identified. The widely varying vegetation is a reflection of ecological diversity of the forest "in geology, soil type, aspect, climate, altitude and position in the landscape." Under the EVC classification system followed in Victoria, the criteria adopted covers "depletion (what is left since European settlement), degradation, current threats and rarity". Shrubby Foothill Forest which is found on both sides of the Great Divide accounts for 57.66% under the Least Concern Category while the Swampy Riparian Woodland and Streambank Shrubland are under the Endangered Category.
facilitated by providing the consultancy inputs in preparing a review report on collaborative forest management and community participation in Australia. This report was titled “Collaborative Forest Management – A Review”.
The community group is called the Wombat Forestcare and is actively associated with the government departments to protect and improving the biodiversity
of the natural ecosystem
of the Wombat State Forest in aspects of floral and faunal surveys, forest regeneration, seed collection and also education. The community group has urged the State Government to take action to make the Wombat State Forest into a State Park and Community Forest Reserve.
The Wombat Forest Community Biodiversity Research Project was developed to determine what kinds of animals live in the Wombat Forest, and what sort of habitats do they prefer. The project is a collaboration of the Biodiversity Working Group and the Arthur Rylah Institute for Environmental Research
.
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
, Victoria
Victoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, between Woodend
Woodend, Victoria
Woodend is a small town in Victoria, Australia. The town is in the Shire of Macedon Ranges Local government area. It is bypassed to the east and north by the Calder Freeway and is located about halfway between Melbourne and Bendigo...
and Daylesford
Daylesford, Victoria
Daylesford is a town located in the Shire of Hepburn, Victoria, Australia. It is a former goldmining town about 115 kilometres north-west of Melbourne, in the foothills of the Great Dividing Range. At the 2006 census, Daylesford had a population of 3,073...
, at the Great Dividing Range
Great Dividing Range
The Great Dividing Range, or the Eastern Highlands, is Australia's most substantial mountain range and the third longest in the world. The range stretches more than 3,500 km from Dauan Island off the northeastern tip of Queensland, running the entire length of the eastern coastline through...
. The forest is approximately 70000 hectares (172,973.6 acre) in size and sits upon Ordovician or Tertiary sediments. The Bullarook Wombat State Forest was proclaimed in 1871.
The only initiative in Australia to introduce community forestry
Community forestry
Community forestry is an evolving branch of forestry whereby the local community plays a significant role in forest management and land use decision making. It involves the participation and collaboration of various stakeholders including community, government and non-government organisations...
, within the internationally understood context, is in the Wombat State Forest. It is managed by the Department of Sustainability and Environment. The management plan covers several areas such as firewood and other products; protection of water supplies, conservation of biodiversity, and conservation of landscape. Other areas of importance include cultural heritage, research, education, tourism, recreation, mineral exploration, mining, and grazing.
History
The Dja Dja WurrungDja Dja Wurrung
Dja Dja Wurrung, also known as the Jaara people and Loddon River tribe, is a native Aboriginal tribe which occupied the watersheds of the Loddon and Avoca Rivers in the Bendigo region of central Victoria, Australia. They were part of the Kulin alliance of tribes. There were 16 clans, which adhered...
peoples inhabited the area that is now state forest land. In its early days prior to European settlement, it probably extended to a much larger area than it does today.
19th century
Much of the forest lands was logged out during the gold rush
Australian gold rushes
The Australian gold rush started in 1851 when prospector Edward Hammond Hargraves claimed the discovery of payable gold near Bathurst, New South Wales, at a site Edward Hargraves called Ophir.Eight months later, gold was found in Victoria...
era of the mid 1800s. During this time, the forest was intensively logged, the wood products used as tunnel supports, sleepers for tramways, lining of mining shafts, to fire mine boilers, piles for piers and docks, electric poles, heavy construction timbers and fuel wood. It was only in 1860 that the 1860 Land Act (Section 80) was created, prohibiting the slashing and subtraction of trees. Eleven years later, in 1871, the Wombat State Forest was established.
By 1884, there were 36 saw mills in operation in the Wombat and Bullarook Forests, the wood having been shipped to Melbourne, Sandhurst, and Ballarat. There was little or no reproduction and the young trees were burned. This eventually resulted in what is termed as “ruined forest”, the forest remaining in that state for several decades without any agricultural operations allowed.
20th century
As the forest was almost abandoned after the gold rush period, a regeneration process emerged. This activity plateaued in the 1960s when shelter wood logging came into effect for silviculture
Silviculture
Silviculture is the practice of controlling the establishment, growth, composition, health, and quality of forests to meet diverse needs and values. The name comes from the Latin silvi- + culture...
, resulting in more deforestation. However, in the 1970s and 80s, the area was designated as the "Midlands Forest Management Area" which included the planting of pine trees for commercial exploitation.
When in 2001, the local community published its own findings about the forest's sustainable management, it became an example of community involvement in a state-run management plan. In 2010, community groups fears were raised that logging could resume in the forest because the State Government allocated logging licenses in western Victoria.
Geography
The Great Dividing Range straddles the Wombat State Forest. The forest extends along both sides of the Dividing Range, from CreswickCreswick, Victoria
Creswick is a town in west-central Victoria, Australia. It is located 18 kilometres north of Ballarat and 129 km northwest of Melbourne, in Shire of Hepburn. It is 430 metres above sea level. At the 2006 census, Creswick had a population of 2,485...
to Mount Macedon
Mount Macedon, Victoria
Mount Macedon is a small town located northwest of Melbourne in the Australian state of Victoria. It is situated on the side of the mountain of the same name, known as Geboor by the indigenous Wurundjeri people, which rises to above sea level. At the 2006 census, Mount Macedon had a population...
. There are about 400 volcanoes in a stretch that extends from Kilmore
Kilmore
-Places:Australia*Kilmore, VictoriaNorthern Ireland*Kilmore, County Armagh, a village and townland in County Armagh, Northern Ireland*Kilmore, County Down, a village, parish and townland in County Down, Northern Ireland*Kilmore, County Tyrone...
in the north to Mt Gambier in South Australia
South Australia
South Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland...
. Mount Babbington, Mount Wilson and Blue Mount are extinct volcanoes within the forest.
The prevalent geological make up is of Ordovician
Ordovician
The Ordovician is a geologic period and system, the second of six of the Paleozoic Era, and covers the time between 488.3±1.7 to 443.7±1.5 million years ago . It follows the Cambrian Period and is followed by the Silurian Period...
or Tertiary
Tertiary
The Tertiary is a deprecated term for a geologic period 65 million to 2.6 million years ago. The Tertiary covered the time span between the superseded Secondary period and the Quaternary...
sediments. The rock types are of volcanic origin, dated to the Palaeozoic era. Quaternary
Quaternary
The Quaternary Period is the most recent of the three periods of the Cenozoic Era in the geologic time scale of the ICS. It follows the Neogene Period, spanning 2.588 ± 0.005 million years ago to the present...
basalts, all of volcanic origin, constituted the forested land to the west of the Wombat State Forest. These lands were converted to agricultural zone due to the suitability to grow crops under abundant rainfall conditions. However, Ordovician or sedimentary soils, due to its poor soil conditions for farming, have remained undisturbed. The geological evolution belongs to the Quaternary period of the Cainozoic Era which has emerged from an “ash dominated rainforest
Rainforest
Rainforests are forests characterized by high rainfall, with definitions based on a minimum normal annual rainfall of 1750-2000 mm...
to dry sclerophyll forest”. The preceding geological evolutions in the order of their ascending order of dating are: the Palaeozoic Era, the Precambrian Era
Precambrian
The Precambrian is the name which describes the large span of time in Earth's history before the current Phanerozoic Eon, and is a Supereon divided into several eons of the geologic time scale...
, and the Mesozoic Era.
The Wombat State Forest contains the headwaters of the Lerderderg
Lerderderg River
The Lerderderg River is a river in Victoria, Australia. The river begins in the Lerderderg State Forest and ends when it merges into the Werribee River just out of the town of Bacchus Marsh....
, Campaspe
Campaspe River
The Campaspe River is a river in Victoria, Australia. It was named by Major Mitchell in 1836 for Campaspe, a mistress of Alexander the Great.The river was known as yalooka by the local aboriginal people of the Rochester area.-Course:...
and Loddon
Loddon River
The Loddon River is a 392-km long tributary of the Murray River that flows through central and northern Victoria, Australia. The river rises near Trentham and flows by Glenlyon. It then flows generally northward through Guildford and Newstead, 40 km west of Bendigo through the Cairn Curran...
rivers. A notable feature in the forest is the extent of mineral springs which is said to account for 80% of Australia’s mineral springs. The mineral waters are rich in calcium, silica, magnesium, iron and sulphur. The volcanic activity of the region has supplemented the creation of mineral water- carbon dioxide mix that is seen in the form of bubbles emerging from the springs.
Fauna and flora
The forest's faunal era emerged during the Precambrian Era, initially with cyanobacteria (Blue Green Algae) and soft bodied marine organisms. These were followed by the Cambrian Period with Metazoans dominating the sea, followed by the earliest vertebrates of the Ordovician Period, the Carboniferous/Permian Period of insects, Triassic Period of early small dinosaurs, Jurassic Period of dinosaurs, Cretaceous Period, Palaeocene Period of mammals, Oligocene Period
Oligocene
The Oligocene is a geologic epoch of the Paleogene Period and extends from about 34 million to 23 million years before the present . As with other older geologic periods, the rock beds that define the period are well identified but the exact dates of the start and end of the period are slightly...
of early primates, Miocene Period of possums, kangaroos
KangaROOS
KangaROOS are an American brand of sneaker originally produced from 1979 through the 1980s, with a later revival that continues in present. They were notable for having a small zippered pocket on the side of the shoe, large enough for a small amount of loose change, keys, or more recently,...
, koalas, bats
Bats
A bat is a flying mammal in the Chiroptera order.Bats may also refer to:-Films:*Bats , starring Lou Diamond Phillips and Bob Gunton*Bats: Human Harvest -Groups:...
, snakes, crocodiles and birds, and finally the Holocene Period
Holocene
The Holocene is a geological epoch which began at the end of the Pleistocene and continues to the present. The Holocene is part of the Quaternary period. Its name comes from the Greek words and , meaning "entirely recent"...
of human civilization.
The native fauna consists of marsupials and monotremes, reptiles, amphibians, bats
Bats
A bat is a flying mammal in the Chiroptera order.Bats may also refer to:-Films:*Bats , starring Lou Diamond Phillips and Bob Gunton*Bats: Human Harvest -Groups:...
and birds. The Greater Glider (Petauroides volans) is the largest possum found in this forest. It has furry hair with the colour varying from grey to cream and with a pale underside. It has a large snout and large ears. Its range is in the western part of the Wombat State Forest. Several state-listed threatened bird species occur in the forest including the Great Egret
Great Egret
The Great Egret , also known as the Great White Egret or Common Egret, White Heron, or Great White Heron, is a large, widely-distributed egret. Distributed across most of the tropical and warmer temperate regions of the world, in southern Europe it is rather localized...
, Intermediate Egret
Intermediate Egret
The Intermediate Egret, Median Egret, or Yellow-billed Egret is a medium-sized heron. It is a resident breeder from east Africa across tropical southern Asia to Australia. It often nests in colonies with other herons, usually on platforms of sticks in trees or shrubs...
, Grey Goshawk
Grey Goshawk
The Grey Goshawk, Accipiter novaehollandiae, the white morph of which is known as the White Goshawk, is a strongly built, medium-sized bird of prey in the family Accipitridae.-Description:...
, Australian Masked Owl, Powerful Owl
Powerful Owl
The Powerful Owl , also known as the Powerful Boobok, is a species of owl native to south-eastern and eastern Australia, the largest owl on that continent...
and Square-tailed Kite
Square-tailed Kite
The Square-tailed Kite is a bird of prey in the family Accipitridae which also includes many other diurnal raptors such as kites, eagles and harriers.-Conservation status:...
. Additionally, the forest is the western extent of the range of the Red-browed Treecreeper
Red-browed Treecreeper
The Red-browed Treecreeper is a species of bird in the Climacteridae family.It is endemic to Australia.Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests and subtropical or tropical moist montane forests....
and Olive Whistler
Olive Whistler
The Olive Whistler, Pachycephala olivacea is a species of bird of the whistler family Pachycephalidae that is native to southeastern Australia. By an untrained eye, they can be mistaken for female Golden Whistlers....
.
Flora
During the forest's geological evolutionary process, flora initially emerged in oceans 630 million years ago. This was followed by plants emerging in late Ordovician Period and early Silurian Period. They were succeeded by the Jurassic Period of Ancient Flora (including Gondwana
Gondwana
In paleogeography, Gondwana , originally Gondwanaland, was the southernmost of two supercontinents that later became parts of the Pangaea supercontinent. It existed from approximately 510 to 180 million years ago . Gondwana is believed to have sutured between ca. 570 and 510 Mya,...
Cretaceous Period and West Gondwana
Gondwana
In paleogeography, Gondwana , originally Gondwanaland, was the southernmost of two supercontinents that later became parts of the Pangaea supercontinent. It existed from approximately 510 to 180 million years ago . Gondwana is believed to have sutured between ca. 570 and 510 Mya,...
) as is evidenced in Australia with the emergence of conifers. The Palaeocene Period of tree species was succeeded by the Eocene Period
Eocene
The Eocene Epoch, lasting from about 56 to 34 million years ago , is a major division of the geologic timescale and the second epoch of the Paleogene Period in the Cenozoic Era. The Eocene spans the time from the end of the Palaeocene Epoch to the beginning of the Oligocene Epoch. The start of the...
of grasses which was followed by rain forests. With the Miocene Period
Miocene
The Miocene is a geological epoch of the Neogene Period and extends from about . The Miocene was named by Sir Charles Lyell. Its name comes from the Greek words and and means "less recent" because it has 18% fewer modern sea invertebrates than the Pliocene. The Miocene follows the Oligocene...
, eucalypt
Eucalypt
Eucalypts are woody plants belonging to three closely related genera:Eucalyptus, Corymbia and Angophora.In 1995 new evidence, largely genetic, indicated that some prominent Eucalyptus species were actually more closely related to Angophora than to the other eucalypts; they were split off into the...
forests emerged, followed by the Pliocene Period
Pliocene
The Pliocene Epoch is the period in the geologic timescale that extends from 5.332 million to 2.588 million years before present. It is the second and youngest epoch of the Neogene Period in the Cenozoic Era. The Pliocene follows the Miocene Epoch and is followed by the Pleistocene Epoch...
of cooler climate with some northern tropical species emerging, and finally followed by the Quaternary Period of dry climate with dry vegetation.
The native flora broadly consist of small medium and tall trees; shrubs of varying sizes; climbers; native herbs/forbs, grasses; rushes, sedges and aquatics; lilies, ferns and orchids. The open forest is dominated by a number of eucalypt species including Messmate
Eucalyptus obliqua
Eucalyptus obliqua, commonly known as Australian Oak, Brown Top, Brown Top Stringbark, Messmate, Messmate Stringybark, Stringybark and Tasmanian Oak, is a hardwood tree native to south-eastern Australia....
(Eucalyptus obliqua), Broad-leaf Peppermint
Eucalyptus dives
Eucalyptus dives or broad-leaved peppermint is a small tree native to temperate dry sclerophyll woodlands and forests of south-eastern Australia. The juvenile leaves are ovate and glaucus, and adult leaves are lanceolate to broad-lanceolate. Leaves are aromatic.-Uses:There are two notable...
(E. dives), Narrow-leaf Peppermint
Eucalyptus radiata
Eucalyptus radiata is a medium to tall tree to 30 m high with persistent bark on the trunk and larger branches or persistent to smaller branches. The bark shortly fibrous , grey to grey-brown, shedding in long ribbons...
(E. radiata), Manna Gum (E. viminalis) and Candlebark
Eucalyptus rubida
The Candlebark is a medium sized tree of the genus Eucalyptus. It occurs in south eastern Australia and Tasmania, typically in open woodland around the lower slopes of the Great Dividing Range, but also in taller forests...
(E. rubida). Swamp Gum
Eucalyptus ovata
Eucalyptus ovata, commonly known as Swamp gum or Black Gum, is a widespread occurring Australian eucalypt.The swamp gum is a small to , medium sized tree, rarely a mallee, with bark that sheds over most of the trunk revealing a smooth, grey, whitish or pinkish-grey surface. The rough bark is...
(Eucalyptus ovata) and Yarra Gum
Eucalyptus yarraensis
Eucalyptus yarraensis, commonly known as Yarra Gum, is a tree species that is endemic to Victoria, Australia. It grows up to 20 metres in height and has fibrous bark. The species was first formally described in A Critical Revision of the Genus Eucalyptus in 1922 from material collected near...
(E. yarraensis) are also present in the forest.
Armillaria luteobubalina
Armillaria luteobubalina
Armillaria luteobubalina, commonly known as the Australian honey fungus, is a species of mushroom in the family Physalacriaceae. Widely distributed in southern Australia, the fungus is responsible for a disease known as Armillaria root rot, a primary cause of Eucalyptus tree death and forest dieback...
, a fungus that causes forest dieback
Forest dieback
Forest dieback is a condition in trees or woody plants in which peripheral parts are killed, either by parasites or due to conditions like acid rain and drought....
, has occurred in mixed eucalyptus
Eucalyptus
Eucalyptus is a diverse genus of flowering trees in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae. Members of the genus dominate the tree flora of Australia...
stands following partial cutting. The forest is also a rich storehouse of 111 fungal species spread over its wide and varying habitats. These include “native and introduced species as well as a selection of lichenised fungi and myxomycetes (slime moulds).”
Rare or threatened plant species of record include Wiry Bossiaea
Bossiaea cordigera
Bossiaea cordigera , commonly known as Wiry Bossiaea, is a species of flowering plant in the pea family . It is endemic to to Victoria and Tasmania in Australia. It has rounded opposite leaves to 6mm wide and grows up to 1.3 metres in height. Flowers appear between October and January in the...
(Bossiaea cordigera), Matted Flax-lily (Dianella amoena), Brooker’s Gum
Eucalyptus brookeriana
Eucalyptus brookeriana, commonly known as Brooker's Gum, is a tree species that is endemic to south-eastern Australia. It may grow up to 40 metres in height and has rough bark at the base becoming smooth further up the trunk and on the branches...
(Eucalyptus brookeriana), Fryerstown Grevillea
Grevillea obtecta
Grevillea obtecta is a spreading shrub which is endemic to Victoria, Australia. It is known by the common names Fryerstown Grevillea, Elphinstone Grevillea, or Taradale Grevillea...
(Grevillea obtecta), Creeping Grevillea
Grevillea repens
Grevillea repens is a prostrate shrub which is endemic to Victoria, Australia.It grow to 3 metres in diameter. Flowers appear between October and April in its native range...
(G. repens), Hairy Beard-heath (Leucopogon microphyllus var. pilibundus), Satinwood
Nematolepis squamea
Nematolepis squamea , commonly known as Satinwood, is a shrub or small tree species which is endemic to Australia. The species was first formally described in 1805 and named Eriostemon squamea....
(Nematolepis squamea subsp. squamea), Small Sickle Greenhood (Pterostylis lustra), Scented Bush-pea (Pultenaea graveolens) as well as two endemic species Wombat Leafless Bossiaea
Bossiaea vombata
Bossiaea vombata, commonly known as Wombat Bossiaea, is a species of flowering plant in the pea family . It is endemic to to the Wombat State Forest in Victoria, Australia It has flat, blue-green leafless branches and grows up to 2 metres in height. Flowers appear between November and December in...
(Bossiaea vombata) and Wombat Bush-pea (Pultenaea reflexifolia var.
reflexifolia).
Ecological classification
Ecological classification of native vegetation in the Wombat Forest has been carried out, with 16 different Ecological Vegetation ClassEcological Vegetation Class
An Ecological Vegetation Class is a component of a vegetation classification system. They are groupings of vegetation communities based on floristic, structural, and ecological features...
es (EVCs) being identified. The widely varying vegetation is a reflection of ecological diversity of the forest "in geology, soil type, aspect, climate, altitude and position in the landscape." Under the EVC classification system followed in Victoria, the criteria adopted covers "depletion (what is left since European settlement), degradation, current threats and rarity". Shrubby Foothill Forest which is found on both sides of the Great Divide accounts for 57.66% under the Least Concern Category while the Swampy Riparian Woodland and Streambank Shrubland are under the Endangered Category.
Community management
Wombat Forest Community Forest Management (CFM) is a cooperative process in which the community of Wombat has been entrusted the responsibility to manage the Wombat State Forest. The management initiative started in 2002 with inputs from experts in forest management and other disciplines. The slogan “Our Forests Our Future” started the reform process. The University of MelbourneUniversity of Melbourne
The University of Melbourne is a public university located in Melbourne, Victoria. Founded in 1853, it is the second oldest university in Australia and the oldest in Victoria...
facilitated by providing the consultancy inputs in preparing a review report on collaborative forest management and community participation in Australia. This report was titled “Collaborative Forest Management – A Review”.
The community group is called the Wombat Forestcare and is actively associated with the government departments to protect and improving the biodiversity
Biodiversity
Biodiversity is the degree of variation of life forms within a given ecosystem, biome, or an entire planet. Biodiversity is a measure of the health of ecosystems. Biodiversity is in part a function of climate. In terrestrial habitats, tropical regions are typically rich whereas polar regions...
of the natural ecosystem
Ecosystem
An ecosystem is a biological environment consisting of all the organisms living in a particular area, as well as all the nonliving , physical components of the environment with which the organisms interact, such as air, soil, water and sunlight....
of the Wombat State Forest in aspects of floral and faunal surveys, forest regeneration, seed collection and also education. The community group has urged the State Government to take action to make the Wombat State Forest into a State Park and Community Forest Reserve.
The Wombat Forest Community Biodiversity Research Project was developed to determine what kinds of animals live in the Wombat Forest, and what sort of habitats do they prefer. The project is a collaboration of the Biodiversity Working Group and the Arthur Rylah Institute for Environmental Research
Arthur Rylah Institute for Environmental Research
The Arthur Rylah Institute for Environmental Research is the biodiversity research organisation for the Department of Sustainability and Environment of the government of Victoria, Australia. It provides advice on ecologically sustainable land and water management issues and with regard to...
.