Regional ecosystem details for 10.9.3
| Regional ecosystem | 10.9.3 |
|---|---|
| Vegetation Management Act class | Least concern |
| Wetlands | Not a Wetland |
| Biodiversity status | Endangered |
| Extent in reserves | Refer to vegetation communities for new mapping. |
| Short description | Acacia harpophylla and/or Eucalyptus cambageana open woodland to woodland on Mesozoic sediments |
| Structure code | Low Open Woodland |
| Description | [RE not in use]²: Refer to vegetation communities for new mapping. Acacia harpophylla or Eucalyptus cambageana dominate the very sparse to sparse tree layer with or without Acacia harpophylla understorey or open tussock grassland. Occurs on flat to undulating terrain with shallow clay soils overlying fine-grained Mesozoic sediments. Not a Wetland. (BVG1M: 25a). Vegetation communities in this regional ecosystem include: 10.9.3a: [RE not in use]²: This vegetation community is now mapped as 10.5.5x1. Eucalyptus cambageana dominates the very sparse tree layer. Acacia harpophylla is usually present as scattered trees in a very sparse small tree layer. Eremophila mitchellii is usually present as scattered plants in a very sparse large shrub layer. Carissa lanceolata usually dominates the very sparse small shrub layer. Capparis canescens is occasionally present. Enteropogon acicularis or E. ramosus can be dominant graminoids in the very sparse ground layer. Occurs on sandy clay soils. Not a Wetland. (BVG1M: 25a). 10.9.3b: [RE not in use]²: This vegetation community is now partly mapped as 10.5.7x3 and partly mapped as 10.7.3x2b. Acacia harpophylla dominates the sparse tree layer. Eremophila mitchellii is usually present as scattered large shrubs to small trees. Carissa lanceolata usually dominates the very sparse shrub layer. Enteropogon acicularis and/or Paspalidium caespitosum usually dominate the very sparse to sparse ground layer. Sporobolus actinocladus can sometimes be a codominant. Occurs on sandy clay soils. Not a Wetland. (BVG1M: 25a). 10.9.3c: [RE not in use]²: This vegetation community is now mapped as 10.5.7ax1. Tripogon loliiformis and Sporobolus actinocladus are commonly present or sometimes dominant in the usually very sparse ground layer. Scattered trees and shrubs may be present and include Acacia harpophylla, Eremophila mitchellii, Carissa lanceolata and Atalaya hemiglauca. Occurs on sandy clay soils. Not a Wetland. (BVG1M: 31b). |
| Supplementary description | Turner et al. (1978), B1, B3; Thompson and Turpin (in prep), A11g, E65d |
| Fire management guidelines | INTERVAL: Fire return interval not relevant. INTERVAL_MIN: 100. INTERVAL_MAX: 100. STRATEGY: Do not target for fires. Control fuel loads in the surrounding vegetation. Can tolerate only very early dry season fires, under mild conditions, that trickle along the ground layer. Brigalow scrubs tend to act as fire breaks owing to sparse ground vegetation. ISSUES: Brigalow is soft-seeded, so germination is not promoted by fire. Brigalow is only tolerant of low intensity fires trickling underneath, and can be damaged or killed by moderate to high intensity fires. Exotic grasses, such as Buffel grass, carry intense fires into these communities and can cause tree deaths. Control of fuel loads in the surrounding vegetation is important. |
| Comments | 10.9.3: Rare (800ha) regional ecosystem with disjunct and scattered distribution. Outlier of regional ecosystems more typical of the Brigalow Belt South. Restricted to south of subregion. The soils are highly dispersible and susceptible to sheet and rill erosion. Bare soil tends crust readily after rain leading to reduced infiltration and increased runoff. Also, evaporation is greater from bare soil resulting in salt concentration at the surface. Potential threats to this ecosystem are mainly from tree clearing, high susceptibility to salinity, weed infestation particularly Parthenium, over grazing and soil erosion. It is recommended that grazing be restricted to very short periods after the wet-season. The native pasture under the tree canopy in this regional ecosystem tends to have reasonable nutritive value but low bulk. 10.9.3a: Rare vegetation community known from southern parts of subregion 2. 10.9.3b: Rare vegetation community requiring detailed botanical survey Often occurs as a narrow strip or as small patches associated with Eucalyptus thozetiana on gently sloping pediments. These areas are usually too small to be mapped at 1:100000 scale mapping. 10.9.3c: Rare vegetation community associated with map unit 10.9.3a. Further survey required for a comprehensive species composition for this ecosystem. |
1 Estimated extent is from version 13.1 pre-clearing and 2021 remnant regional ecosystem mapping. Figures are rounded for simplicity. For more precise estimates, including breakdowns by tenure and other themes see remnant vegetation in Queensland.
2 Superseded: Revision of the regional ecosystem classification removed this regional ecosystem code from use. It is included in the regional ecosystem description database because the RE code may appear in older versions of RE mapping and the Vegetation Management regulation.
