Alluvial Woodland
Alluvial woodland is a variety of Sydney Coastal River Flat Forest. It grows along minor watercourses and on flat areas next to riparian forest. Riparian forest is the name given to the vegetation found on the banks of rivers. It is found on soils which were deposited by floods in the past, called alluvial soils. It is an important vegetation community as it plays an important role in maintaining aquatic ecosystems. It also stabilises riverbanks to prevent erosion and plays an important role as a wildlife corridor, giving many animals a safer way to move around in urban areas. There is only 4176 ha of Sydney Coastal River Flat Forest left, 9.7 % of the original amount. It is listed as an endangered ecological community under the Threatened Species Conservation Act 1995.
A section of Alluvial Woodland found at Nurragingy Reserve.
Dominant Plant Species
Click on the buttons next to the photo to view the dominant plant species for this community.
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Canopy Species |
| Understory Species | |
| Ground Species |
Surrounding Vegitation Communities
Where the soils become shale based, the vegetation changes to Cumberland Plain Woodland. (Shale Hills and Shale Plains Woodland). Where the alluvial soils are deeper, with clay deposits above them, the vegetation changes to Castlereagh Ironbark Forest.
Major Impacts
Alluvial Woodland often occurs on floodplains, which are considered some of the most fertile soils for farming. As a result, it was rapidly cleared by the first European settlers to come to the area. Some sections have been cleared so the area can be mined for sand and soil.
The issues facing the remaining stands include:
Click on the above links to learn more about these impacts!