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, only about 36% of this remains.
A section of Shale-Gravel Transition Forest found at Nurragingy Reserve.
Dominant Plant Species
Follow the links below to view the dominant plant species in this community.
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Canopy Species |
| Understory Species | |
| Ground Species |
Surrounding Vegitation 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.
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: