Follow @blacktowncc
Shale Hills Woodland
Overview
Shale Hills Woodland, along with Shale Plains Woodland, make up the Cumberland Plain Woodland Community. Shale Hills Woodland is the less common of the two forms in the Blacktown area. It occurs mainly on hills and slopes on the southern half of the Cumberland Plain. Originally there was over 122,000 hectares of Cumberland Plain Woodland across Western Sydney, but only 7% of this remains. It is listed as a critically endanged ecological community under the NSW Threatened Species Conservation Act 1995.
There are very few stands of this community left in an undisturbed condition.
This section has quite a thin and disturbed ground layer and understory.
Dominant Plant Species
An example of the dominant plant species for this community can be found below.
|
Canopy Species Grey Box (Eucalyptus moluccana)
Forest Red Gum (Eucalyptus tereticornis)
Narrow Leaved Ironbark (Eucalyptus crebra)
|
|
Understory Species Blackthorn (Bursaria spinosa)
Hickory Wattle (Acacia implexa)
Australian Indigo (Indigofera australis)
Giant Hop Bush (Dodonaea viscosa) | |
|
Ground Species Kangaroo Grass (Themeda australis)
Weeping Meadow Grass (Microlaena stipoides var stipoides)
Kidney Weed (Dichondra repens)
Desmodium varians | |
|
Threatened Species
Pink Pimelea (Pimelea spicata) Pink Pimelea is a small shrub that can reach up to 50cm in height. It is listed as endangered and is regarded as being under serious threat of becoming extinct. | |
Surrounding Vegitation Communities
Cumberland Plain Woodland (Shale Hills and Shale Plains Woodland) grows on shale soils. In areas where there is more gravel in the soil , it grades in to Shale-Gravel Transition Forest. In areas where there is more sand in the soil, it grades into Shale-Sandstone Transition Forest. Examples of Shale Hills Woodlands can still be found in Pied Piper Playground and Harpers Bush.
Major Impacts
The clearing of the woodland for farming and urban development is the major cause for the original reduction in size of this vegetation community. Due to this it now only exists in isolated pockets. The issues facing the remaining stands of this community include:
Tweet
