Regional ecosystem details for 3.9.2
| Regional ecosystem | 3.9.2 |
|---|---|
| Vegetation Management Act class | Least concern |
| Wetlands | Not a Wetland |
| Biodiversity status | No concern at present |
| Subregion | 7, 6, (8), (5), (1), (2.4), (2.6) |
| Estimated extent1 | Pre-clearing 145000 ha; Remnant 2021 143000 ha |
| Short description | Eucalyptus chlorophylla woodland to open woodland on undulating clay plains |
| Structure code | Woodland |
| Description | Open woodland to low open woodland of Eucalyptus chlorophylla. The subcanopy and shrublayers are often absent to sparse. Vachellia ditricha low open woodland sometimes occurs. Occurs on clay undulating plains. Not a Wetland. (BVG1M: 18c). Vegetation communities in this regional ecosystem include: 3.9.2a: Eucalyptus chlorophylla open woodland to low open woodland. Corymbia clarksoniana can occur as a subdominant with other scattered Corymbia spp. present. E. chlorophylla can also occur as an emergent. A very sparse subcanopy can include Hakea persiehana, Melaleuca viridiflora and Acacia spp. The very sparse shrublayer usually has M. viridiflora, Dolichandrone alternifolia and juvenile canopy species. The sparse to dense grassy ground layer often contains Heteropogon contortus, Sarga plumosum, Themeda arguens and Dichanthium sericeum. Occurs on clay undulating plains. Not a Wetland. (BVG1M: 18c). 3.9.2b: Vachellia ditricha (fish poison tree) low open woodland. Scattered emergent Eucalyptus spp. or Corymbia spp. (10-14m tall) are often present. V. ditricha is also frequently encountered in the very sparse shrub layer. The mid-dense to dense ground layer is usually dominated by the grasses Themeda arguens, Digitaria spp. and Sarga plumosum (plume sorghum). Occurs on clay undulating plains. Not a Wetland. (BVG1M: 27a). 3.9.2x1: [RE not in use]²: This regional ecosystem is now mapped as 3.5.36a. Eucalyptus tetrodonta (Darwin stringybark) predominates, forming a distinct but discontinuous sparse canopy (17-26m tall). Corymbia nesophila (Melville Island bloodwood) and C. clarksoniana (Clarkson's bloodwood) may be subdominant in the canopy. Erythrophleum chlorostachys (Cooktown ironwood) may occur just below the canopy, occasionally forming a mid-dense layer. sub-canopy trees (4-15m tall) are sometimes present. A sparse low shrub layer (0.5-2m tall) composed of young trees and shrubby regrowth is often present. The ground layer can be very sparse to mid-dense and is dominated by grasses. The primary species in this layer are Schizachyrium spp. (fire grass), Sarga plumosum (plume sorghum), Panicum spp. (native panics), Alloteropsis semialata (cockatoo grass) and Thaumastochloa spp. Occurs on stony hills of fine-grained Cretaceous sediments. Not a Wetland. (BVG1M: 14a). 3.9.2x2: Eucalyptus tetrodonta (Darwin stringybark) woodland to open forest, commonly with E. cullenii, E. crebra or Corymbia stockeri (gum-topped bloodwood). Other Eucalyptus spp. and Erythrophleum chlorostachys (Cooktown ironwood) may be present in the canopy and are occasionally subdominant. A very sparse to sparse sub-canopy layer often has canopy species. The very sparse shrub layer has canopy species with Coelospermum reticulatum, Grevillea parallela. The grasses Themeda triandra (kangaroo grass), Sarga plumosum (plume sorghum), Heteropogon contortus (black speargrass), H. triticeus (giant speargrass) and Schizachyrium spp. (fire grass) dominate the sparse to mid-dense, ground layer. Occurs on stony hills of Cretaceous fine-grained sediments. Not a Wetland. (BVG1M: 13a). 3.9.2x3: [RE not in use]²: This regional ecosystem is now mapped as 3.9.2x2. Eucalyptus cullenii (Cullen's ironbark) dominates the sparse canopy (14-25m tall). Other Eucalyptus spp. or Corymbia spp. particularly E. tetrodonta (Darwin stringybark) and Corymbia disjuncta (cabbage gum) may be present and are occasionally subdominant. Erythrophleum chlorostachys (Cooktown ironwood) is also frequently subdominant. The very sparse to sparse sub-canopy layer (4-10m tall) is composed most frequently of Planchonia careya (cocky apple), C. disjuncta, Eucalyptus tetrodonta, Petalostigma banksii (smooth-leaved quinine) and Alphitonia pomaderroides (soapwood). The sparse to very sparse shrub layer (0.5-3m tall) frequently includes Croton arnhemicus (hard cascarilla), Erythrophleum chlorostachys, Decaschistia peninsularis, Corymbia disjuncta, C. nesophila (Melville Island bloodwood) and Planchonia careya shrubs. The grasses Heteropogon triticeus (giant speargrass), Sarga plumosum (plume sorghum), Eulalia mackinlayi (silky browntop) and Schizachyrium spp. (fire grass) dominate the sparse to mid-dense ground layer. Occurs on fine-grained sediments on edge of Tertiary plateau. Not a Wetland. (BVG1M: 13a). 3.9.2x4: [RE not in use]²: This regional ecosystem is now mapped as 3.9.2x2. Corymbia stockeri (gum-topped bloodwood) dominates the sparse canopy (6-22m tall). Eucalyptus tetrodonta (Darwin stringybark) is present at most sites as a subdominant canopy tree. E. cullenii (Cullen's ironbark) and sometimes E. crebra (narrow-leaved ironbark) are occasionally present as subdominant trees. The very sparse to sparse sub-canopy layer (2-10m tall) is dominated by Eucalyptus spp. and Melaleuca stenostachya (fibre-barked teatree). The very sparse to sparse shrub layer (0.1-3m tall) is composed of a variety of species that may dominate at different sites, C. stockeri, E. tetrodonta, M. stenostachya and Petalostigma banksii (smooth-leaved quinine) the most frequent dominants. The ground layer is sparse to mid-dense, and dominated by the grasses, Triodia microstachya (spinifex), Eriachne spp. (wanderrie grass), Aristida spp. (three-awned speargrass), Schizachyrium spp. (fire grass), Heteropogon triticeus (giant spear grass) and Digitaria spp. Frequently large areas of the ground surface are covered by sandstone rocks. Occurs on fine grained sedimentary hills and ridges. Not a Wetland. (BVG1M: 14d). 3.9.2x5: [RE not in use]²: This regional ecosystem is now mapped as 3.9.2x2. Eucalyptus tetrodonta (Darwin stringybark) is always present in the sparse canopy (13-22m tall). It usually predominates or is codominant with Corymbia stockeri subsp. peninsularis (gum-topped bloodwood) and/or C. setosa subsp. pedicellaris (rough-leaved bloodwood). Erythrophleum chlorostachys (Cooktown ironwood) is also often present in both the canopy and the very sparse to sparse sub-canopy tree layer (3-12m tall). Grevillea glauca (bushman's clothes peg), G. parallela (silver oak), Neofabricia sericisepala, Petalostigma banksii (smooth-leaved quinine), Adenanthera abrosperma (bead tree), C. stockeri subsp. peninsularis, C. setosa subsp. pedicellaris, E. tetrodonta and Melaleuca nervosa (woodland paperbark) are other frequent sub-canopy trees. A very sparse to sparse shrub layer (0.2-2.5m tall) is composed of a variety of young trees and shrubby regrowth. The ground layer is usually sparse to mid-dense and dominated by grasses usually Schizachyrium spp. (fire grass), Sarga plumosum (plume sorghum), Panicum spp. (panic), Aristida spp. (three-awned speargrass), Eriachne spp. (wanderrie grass) and Thaumastochloa spp. Occurs on fine-grained sandstones and siltstones. Not a Wetland. (BVG1M: 14b). |
| Protected areas | Oyala Thumotang NP (CYPAL), Olkola NP (CYPAL), Rinyirru (Lakefield) NP (CYPAL), Alwal NP (CYPAL) |
| Fire management guidelines | SEASON: Commence planned burns early in the dry season, after the wet season when dry enough to burn. Use occasional storm burns but generally avoid periods of extremely hot, dry conditions. x2: Dry season with occasional storm burns. INTENSITY: Low to moderate with occasional high during storm burns. x2: Low to moderate with occasional high intensity. INTERVAL: 2-5 years. x2: 1-5 years. INTERVAL_MIN: 1. INTERVAL_MAX: 5. STRATEGY: Apply a mosaic across the landscape at a range of intervals to create varying stages of post-fire response. Burn 30-60% at the property level. x2: Burn less than 30% in any year. Begin burning early in the dry season, followed by progressive patch fires burnt through the year. ISSUES: To mitigate against the impact of late dry season fires, commence burning early in the season and continue through the dry to break up continuity of fuels across the landscape. Planned fire applied repeatedly early in the dry season may lead to woody thickening because fires are not of sufficiently high intensity; this may be exacerbated by stock grazing. Manage extent, intensity and frequency of fires judiciously, to avoid habitat tree loss. x2: This vegetation is fire tolerant. Management should aim at preventing extensive wildfire. Storm burns are used to add diversity to the fire mosaic, promoting perennial grasses and preventing vegetation thickening. |
| Comments | 3.9.2: Central bioregion. 3.9.2a: E.chlorophylla can also occur as an emergent. Central bioregion. 3.9.2b: This vegetation community was previously mapped as RE 3.3.44. Widely scattered patches. 3.9.2x1: South of the bioregion. 3.9.2x2: RE 3.9.2x3, 3.9.2x4 has been amalgamated in to this RE. On hills and slope surrounding the Kimba Plateau. 3.9.2x5: Western side of Great Dividing Range. |
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.
