Eucalypt Re-establishment on the Northern Tablelands of New South Wales

Abstract

In the 1970s hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of native eucalypt trees died on the Northern Tablelands of New South Wales in a syndrome which came to be called 'New England Dieback'. The magnitude of dieback and a recognition of the value of trees on farms led to a desire by many people for information about eucalypt establishment and it is this desire which sparked the commencement of this project in 1982. The overall aim has been to better understand the mechanisms by which eucalypts common on grazing properties of the Northern Tablelands of N.S.W. regenerate naturally and to use this information to design eucalypt re-establishment strategies for areas affected by tree decline. Emphasis has been placed on: • Flowering and seedfall cycles (phenology) of local native eucalypts of the Northern Tablelands; • Conditions which favour seedling establishment and growth; • Techniques for re-establishment or regeneration of eucalypts on land which has been grazed or cropped in the past. Understanding the nature of eucalypt regeneration and reproductive behaviour is vital if we wish to preserve and re-establish native trees on rural land. This study, therefore is an attempt to increase our knowledge of the mechanisms involved in the maintenance of populations of woodland eucalypts and to provide some techniques for their re-establishment where the numbers of trees have been seriously depleted in the past. Understanding the nature of eucalypt regeneration and reproductive behaviour is vital if we wish to preserve and re-establish native trees on rural land. This study, therefore is an attempt to increase our knowledge of the mechanisms involved in the maintenance of populations of woodland eucalypts and to provide some techniques for their re-establishment where the numbers of trees have been seriously depleted in the past.