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Shale - Gravel Transition Forest
Overview
Shale - Gravel Transition Forest is an open forest community. It is a transitional plant community made up of species from both clay soils and poorer gravel soils. Originally there was about 7000 hectares of this vegetation community in the Sydney Basin. Today, 1,721ha remains. It is a critically endangered ecological community.
A section of Shale-Gravel Transition Forest found at Nurragingy Reserve.
Dominant Plant Species
Below is an example of the dominant plant species of this community.
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Canopy Species Broad-Leaved Ironbark (Eucalyptus fibrosa)
Grey Box (Eucalyptus moluccana)
Forest Red Gum (Eucalyptus tereticornis)
Paperbark (Melaleuca decora) |
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Understory Species Blackthorn (Bursaria spinosa)
Daviesia ulicifolia
Peach Heath (Lissanthe strigosa) | |
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Ground Species Kangaroo grass (Themeda australis)
Weeping Meadow Grass (Microlaena stipoides var stipoides)
Australian bluebell (Wahlenbergia gracilis) |
Surrounding Vegetation Communities
Shale-Gravel Transition Forest usually occurrs where gravel soils are overlaying shale soils. In areas where the gravel deposits start to decline and the soil becomes more shale based, it tends to grade into Cumberland Plain Woodland (Shale Hills and Shale Plains Woodland). In areas where the gravel deposits become thicker, it tends to grade into Castlereagh Ironbark Forest. Examples of Shale-Gravel Transition Forest can be found within the Blacktown area at Nurragingy Reserve as well as scattered throughout Doonside, Dean Park, Marsden Park, Ropes Crossing, Willmot and Shanes Park (Air Services Land).
Major Impacts
As with many of the vegetation communities in the Sydney Basin, the major factor responsible for the reduction of its original distribution is clearing for urban and rural development. This is still one of the biggest threats for the remaining stands of this community. It is also at risk of being cleared for the mining of the gravel in its soil.
As it now exists only in isolated pockets and often in disturbed conditions, invasion by weeds is also a threat to the remaining areas of this community.
Other issues for the remaining stands include:
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