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Warra 11 coupe shortly after the completion of harvesting and burning. Mt Weld (subject of the altitudinal transect projects) is the high peak at the right-hand end of the range in the background. |
Image: Mark Neyland |
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Project summary:
Warra 11B is an unusual coupe in that it is large (approx. 160ha compared with the average coupe size (1998-99) of 54 ha) and that it has a large altitudinal range (>200m). The coupe straddles the ecotone between the ranges of Eucalyptus obliqua and E. delegatensis and was sown with a mixture of seed of both species. It is possible over time that the higher parts of the coupe will become dominated by E. delegatensis and the lower parts by E. obliqua. Seed of the inappropriate species sown at the extremes of the coupe (e.g. E. obliqua seed sown on the higher parts and vice versa) may therefore be wasted, and it may be preferable to sow the coupe according to the natural ranges of the species, resulting in a cost saving.
Additionally, it is of academic interest to learn the extent to which the two species separate over time by altitude. Does this sorting take place gradually, or does it happen in response to extreme frost events, which may kill or set back E. obliqua growing at higher altitudes? As these questions will take many years to answer, this trial has been established as a long-term trial within the Warra LTER site. Harvesting of special species began in 1985. Clearfelling commenced in 1991 and continued through to 1996. The coupe was burnt (high intensity burn) on the 10th of March 1998. Sowing took place on the 26th of March 1998. The sowing mix comprised 38% E. obliqua and 62% E. delegatensis. This equates to 0.28kg/ha of E. obliqua seed and 0.55kg/ha of E. delegatensis seed per hectare. The trial was established in January 2000, at which time the seedlings were approaching 2 years of age.
The proportions of seedlings by species in all plots initially closely reflected the sowing mix, ie there was no early differences between the abundance of seedlings by species across the coupe.
Methodology: The proportions of seedlings by species in all plots was measured shortly after sowing (1999?) and will be remeasured at ages 3, 6 and 10.
Datasets: None available.
Publications: None available.
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