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Shale-Sandstone Transition Forest
Overview
There are two kinds of Shale Sandstone Transition Forest, low sandstone influence and high sandstone influence. High Sandstone influence sites occur on poor rocky soils. In the Blacktown area, the high sandstone influence type is more common.
Shale-Sandstone Transition Forest occurs where shale rock and clay soils gradually change to sandstone. As a result of this, the boundaries of this vegetation community are indistinct. Originally, it covered over 40, 000 Hectares. Today, about 20 % of this remains. It is listed as an endangered ecological community under the NSW Threatened Species Conservation Act 1995.
Dominant Plant Species
The following is an example of the dominant plant species of this community.
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Canopy Species Dominant -
Forest Red Gum (Eucalyptus tereticornis)
Grey Gum (Eucalyptus punctata)
Less Common -
White Stringybark (Eucalyptus globoidea)
Thin Leaved Stringybark(Eucalyptus eugenioides)
Broad Leaved Ironbark (Eucalyptus fibrosa)
Narrow Leaved Ironbark (Eucalyptus crebra)
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Understory Species Tick Bush (Kunzea ambigua)
Narrow Leaved Geebung (Persoonia linearis)
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Ground Cover Species Kangaroo Grass (Themeda australis)
Hedgehog Grass (Echinopogon ovatus)
Kidney weed (Dichondra repens)
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Surrounding Vegetation Communities
Shale-Sandstone Transition Forest occurs on the transitional area between shale and sand soils. In the areas where the soil becomes shale based, usually clay soils, the vegetation changes to the Cumberland Plain Woodland community (Shale Hills and Shale Plains Woodland). Where the soil becomes sandstone based and thus has more sand present, the vegetation changes to the Sydney Sandstone Complex community. There are no known examples of Shale Sandstone Transition Forest within the Blacktown Local Government Area.
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.
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.
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