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Western Australia, Pemberton, Warren National Park, Ritter Rd, 300 m S
of junction with Old Vasse Rd
Relatively intact (or less impacted) tall eucalyptus forest. These forests
are home to famous karri and tingle trees which can reach 80–90 m in
height.Zonobiome V (acc. to Walter): Warm-Temperate Evergreen Forest
Subzonobiome (acc. to Mucina unpubl.): Australian Wet Eucalyptus
Evergreen Forest
Regional Biome (acc. to Mucina unpubl.): Western Australian WEEF
Plant Community: Chorilaena quercifolia-Eucalyptus versicolor Forest
Tall evergreen forest dominated by eucalyptus, level ground embedded
within smoothly undulating landscape partly covered by relict forests and
alternating grazing paddocks of surrounding farms.
The soils are loamy (sandy-loamy) known as ‘karri soils’ (karri: local
name of one of the dominating tall-tree species – Eucalyptus
diversicolor).
The region is precipitation rich (1200 mm MAP), mainly concentrated to
winter and less to spring; dry in summer.
These forests are fire-shy, but they may carry fire each 100–120 years.
These fires are usually skimming fires, affecting only the litter and dry
sparse shrubby undergrowth.
The total vegetation cover: 80%, litter cover: 90%, (5)–20–(60) cm deep!
Many rotting logs (karri, Allocasuarina decussata) on the ground and
covered by mosses, lichens and wood-rot fungi as well as leaf litter of the
dominating trees. Fallen branches are also common. Around the huge tree
(karri) bases, there are strips of bark shed by the tree is accumulating;
these form a considerable part of the litter. Half of the sampled pits
contain a rain worm.
The site is found in a broad remnant of forest adjacent to a grazing (secondary grassland) paddock and a forests road. The sampled plot
enjoys protection Category 1 according to Western Australian
conservation criteria (national park).
Multilayered forest with well-developed three tree layers (E3γ, E3 β,
E3a), poorly developed upper shrub (E2β) and species-richer lower shrub
(E2α) layers, and a very poor ground (E1) layer.
Total cover: ca. 80%
E3γ:
Eucalyptus diversicolor 40% (cover), 30-40 m tall
E3β:
Allocasuarina decussata 30%, 20 m tall (Casuarinaceae)
E3α:
Allocasuarina decussata 20%, 10 m tall
E2β (0.5-2 m):
Trimalium floribundum subsp. trifidum 10%
Chorilaena quercifolia 5% (Rutaceae)
Macrozamia riedlei 2% (cycas)
Tremandra stelligera + (1%) (Elaeocarpaceae)
Bossiaea aquifolium subsp. laidlawiana + (1%) (Fabaceae)
Clematis pubescens + (1%) (liana, Ranunculaceae)
E2α:
Taxandra sp. + (1%) (Ericaceae)
Pteridium edulis 10% (fern)
E1:
Pteridium edulis + (1%)
Unknown sedge + (1%)
Traces of former natural disturbance: Tree tops of several karri were
chopped off, obviously by lighting that do have impact on particular trees,
but scarcely would cause fire. (The tree trucks might be scorched.)
Few old (dead) trunks have been chopped artificially. The wood always
remains on the ground, rotting. The sampling was done within the distance of at least 10 m of the forest
edge (in any direction), using the prescribed 30 x 30 m design.
Light rain occurred the night before the sampling.
The deep litter and tangle of woody debris made the moving around the
site a real mission. |