Management

1. No broad-scale clearing of live trees and shrubs

Clearing wet sclerophyll forest will reduce the rate of carbon gain, decrease the capacity of the vegetation to store carbon, and produce a net carbon loss

Careful selective harvesting is compatible with carbon farming, but this will slow the rate of carbon gain, and reduce the amount of carbon stored

Clearing removes plants and animals, and also removes the food and shelter of animals that depend on trees and shrubs

Animals which have little or no capacity for dispersal are severely impacted by land clearing

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2. Retain dead standing trees and shrubs, and fallen timber (minimise or avoid collection for firewood, or ‘cleaning up’)

Dead trees and fallen timber contribute to the amount of carbon stored

Dead trees (especially those with hollows) and fallen timber are important for wildlife for shelter and foraging

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3. Encourage the growth and survival of large trees (this may involve thinning)

Healthy, large trees make a substantial contribution to the amount of carbon stored

Large trees are more likely to contain and form hollows, provide shelter and foraging sites for wildlife, and they can take a very long time to replace

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4. If tree recruitment is needed, protect wet sclerophyll eucalypt seedlings from fire until > 3m in height

Wet sclerophyll eucalypts can be killed by fire in the early stages of growth

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5. Prevent and suppress moderate to high-severity fires

Moderate to high-severity fires result in net carbon loss by consuming the carbon stored in trees, shrubs, dead wood and litter

Trees, shrubs, dead wood and litter that would be damaged or destroyed by fire all provide shelter and foraging sites for wildlife

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6. If the understorey is composed of grasses and non-rainforest shrubs, and fuel loads in the understorey are likely to build up, conduct patchy, low-severity burns, when soil moisture is high, to reduce the risk of moderate to high-severity fires. Do not use fire if rainforest trees and shrubs are dominant in the understorey

Repeated small fires can reduce the rate of carbon gain by removing small trees and shrubs, but small carbon losses are preferable to potentially larger losses from unplanned wildfire

Reduces the risk of fire in the area to be restored (see #5)

Rainforest trees and shrubs are unlikely to burn, and therefore pose minimal fire risk

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7. If the understorey is dominated by grasses, use grazing management to reduce high fuel loads (this needs to be balanced with allowing the establishment and growth of woody plants—see #10 below)

Reduces the risk of fire in the area to be restored (see #5)

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8. If the surrounding vegetation is fire-adapted, use grazing management or low severity burns, when soil moisture is high, to reduce high fuel loads in the surrounding vegetation

Reduces the risk of fire in the area to be restored (see #5)

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9. If the surrounding vegetation is fire-adapted, maintain a range of burning practices that create a fine-scale mosaic of fire histories in the landscape, including unburnt areas, and to avoid hot fires, especially late in the dry season

Native species have diverse responses to fire, so a mosaic of low severity burns that are patchy in space and time should help to conserve the greatest number of species

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10. Rake litter and debris away from the base of large and hollow trees before prescribed burning

Healthy, large trees make a substantial contribution to the amount of carbon stored

Helps to protect important habitat trees from scorching, and premature death

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11. If your site needs more trees, protect wet sclerophyll eucalypt seedlings from grazing until > 3m in height

Uncontrolled grazing may reduce carbon gain and storage by disturbing tree and shrub growth and establishment, and trampling woody debris and litter

Uncontrolled grazing by stock can reduce shelter and food for wildlife by slowing and preventing the establishment and growth of trees, grasses and understorey shrubs, and by trampling and reducing the amount of litter and fallen timber

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12. Control macropods and feral animals (e.g. goats, pigs, rabbits) if they are in sufficient densities to prevent the recruitment of native trees and shrubs.

Uncontrolled grazing may reduce carbon gain and storage by disturbing tree and shrub growth and establishment, and trampling woody debris and litter

Uncontrolled grazing by feral and native animals can reduce shelter and food for wildlife by slowing and preventing the establishment and growth of trees, grasses and understorey shrubs, and by trampling and reducing the amount of litter and fallen timber

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13. Manage domestic, native and feral herbivores (animals that are adapted to eat plants) to maintain low to moderate levels of grazing pressure

Uncontrolled grazing by domestic, feral and native animals can reduce shelter and food for wildlife by slowing and preventing the establishment and growth of trees, grasses and understorey shrubs, and by trampling and reducing the amount of litter and fallen timber

Providing areas of low to moderate grazing pressure will favour many native plant and animal species that find it difficult to survive in highly-grazed landscapes

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14. Reduce the cover of dense shrubs/mid-storey trees in areas where canopy tree recruitment is needed. Use patchy disturbance (e.g. selective clearing, herbicide or low to moderate intensity fire) to reduce shrub and/or mid-storey tree density. (Tree recruitment may be by natural seed sources, direct seeding, or tubestock planting).

However, if rainforest trees are present in the understorey (state 4) this may not be necessary for the best carbon returns. This is because rainforest is likely to store similar amounts of carbon as wet sclerophyll forest.

Improves the establishment and growth of woody plants by reducing competition

This action may have negative effects on wildlife by removing habitat/cover. To reduce these risks, reduce shrub cover in small areas only, and implement shrub removal in stages, over months or years

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15. If the understorey is dominated by grasses, use slashing or low severity fire, when soil moisture is high, to reduce the cover of herbaceous plants before direct seeding or tubestock planting

Burning may be less desirable if this is likely to trigger the germination of high numbers of native or weedy shrubs from the soil seedbank

Improves the establishment and growth of woody plants by reducing competition.

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16. Expose areas of mineral soil in patches, when wet sclerophyll eucalypts are releasing seed, and when good rains are expected

Establishing and growing woody plants increases the rate and amount of carbon stored

A diversity of woody plant species of different sizes and ages provides food and habitat for wildlife.

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17. Revegetate treeless areas with native trees and shrubs using direct seeding or tubestock, when good rains are expected

Establishing and growing woody plants increases the rate and amount of carbon stored

A diversity of woody plant species of different sizes and ages provides food and habitat for wildlife

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18. Establish a diversity of tree and shrub species

A diversity of woody plant species of different sizes and ages provides food and habitat for wildlife

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19. Monitor the establishment of wet sclerophyll eucalypt seedlings and remove competing weeds, other native plants or vines (manually, or by carefully applying herbicide)

Removing competing plants will maximise the growth of wet sclerophyll tree species

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20. Avoid management actions that will lead to the development of a uniformly dense shrub layer.

Such management actions may include removal or death of canopy trees; high levels of grazing pressure; or fire regimes that encourage the growth of shrubs at the expense of canopy trees or grasses

A uniformly dense shrub layer (> 50% cover throughout the site) may prevent the establishment and growth of canopy trees

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21. Control weedy shrubs (e.g. lantana) and exotic trees (e.g. camphor laurel) before they form a dense shrub layer

A uniformly dense shrub layer (> 50% cover throughout the site) may prevent the establishment and growth of canopy trees

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22. Prevent the introduction and spread of serious weeds. Vehicles, machinery, quad bikes and stock can all spread weeds

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23. Control weed species where these are having a negative impact on wildlife

Management actions that have adverse effects on wildlife should be avoided if possible, or implemented in stages

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24. Control feral animal species where these are having a negative impact on wildlife

Pigs, cats, foxes and goats are some of the feral species that may threaten native plants and animals through predation, competition and spreading disease

Management actions that have adverse effects on wildlife should be avoided if possible, or implemented in stages

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25. Use habitat modification to reduce the numbers of bell miners (birds) where these are having a negative impact on canopy trees and wildlife. Remove lantana, if present, with herbicide, or other suitable technique.

If dense native understorey is blocking the growth of mid and upper-canopy trees, use burning or mechanical clearing to see if patchy disturbance helps

High densities of bell miners are associated with the dieback of some wet sclerophyll tree species

Miners can have a strong negative influence on the abundance and species richness of other native birds.

Direct control of miners is not recommended.

Decreasing the density of understorey shrubs/mid-storey trees should help to discourage bell miners, and allow canopy trees to develop

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26. Retain and restore tree and shrub patches of different sizes, ages and stem densities

More wildlife species are likely to be supported if there is a range of vegetation growth types

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27. Provide nest boxes if hollows are scarce

Tree hollows provide important shelter and foraging sites for wildlife

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28. Retain and protect mistletoe on eucalypts and other woody plant species

Mistletoe provides nectar, berries and nesting sites for many animal species

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29. Retain and protect rocks and rock outcrops

Many animals use rocks or rocky areas for shelter, and some plant species may only be found around rocky areas

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30. Retain and protect leaf litter (including fallen leaves, bark and twigs)

Many animals use leaf litter for shelter and foraging

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31. Minimise or avoid the use of insecticides in areas to be restored, and prevent spray drift from adjacent areas

Invertebrates deserve protection in their own right, but also provide food for other animals, and ecosystem services such as pollination and seed dispersal

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Rainfall will have a large bearing on the success of management actions

Extended dry periods may cause the death of mature trees

Try to revegetate with tubestock or by direct seeding only when good rains are expected

Low (L)

< 150

< 0.5

< 2.5

Significant patchiness. Litter retained but charred. Humus layer retained. Nearly all habitat trees, fallen logs, and grass stubble retained. Some scorching of elevated fuels. Little or no canopy scorch.

Moderate (M)

150–500

0.5–1.5

2.5–7.5

Moderate patchiness. Some scorched litter remains. About half the humus layer and grass stubble remain. Most habitat trees and fallen logs retained. Some scorch of elevated fuels. Little or no canopy scorch.

High (H)

500–1000

1.5–3.0

7.5–15.0

Some patchiness. Some humus remains. Some habitat trees and fallen logs affected. At least some canopy scorch in moderate < 20m height canopy, mid stratum burnt completely (or nearly so).

Very high (H)

1000–3000

3.0–10.0

Extensive scorching

All understorey burnt to ash (or nearly so). Most habitat trees and fallen logs affected. Extensive crown scorch.

Extreme (E)

> 3000

> 10.0

Partial or total defoliation

All understorey burnt to ash (or nearly so). Loss of nearly all habitat trees and fallen logs. Partial or total defoliation.