Regional ecosystem details for 8.11.7
| Regional ecosystem | 8.11.7 |
|---|---|
| Vegetation Management Act class | Of concern |
| Wetlands | Not a Wetland |
| Biodiversity status | Of concern |
| Subregion | 4 |
| Estimated extent1 | Pre-clearing 200 ha; Remnant 2021 200 ha |
| Short description | Lophostemon confertus and/or Banksia integrifolia and/or Allocasuarina littoralis and/or Xanthorrhoea latifolia shrubland on exposed metamorphic mountain tops |
| Structure code | Shrubland |
| Description | Lophostemon confertus and/or Banksia integrifolia subsp. compar and/or Allocasuarina littoralis and/or Xanthorrhoea latifolia subsp. latifolia open shrubland to closed scrub (to low woodland). Associated canopy species may include Acacia aulacocarpa, Syncarpia glomulifera, Grevillea banksii and Eucalyptus exserta. When lower shrub layers are present, common species may include Jacksonia scoparia, Xanthorrhoea latifolia subsp. latifolia, Leptospermum polygalifolium, Acronychia laevis, Acrotriche aggregata and Astrotricha intermedia. The ground layer is dominated by species such as Xanthorrhoea latifolia subsp. latifolia, Leptospermum polygalifolium, Eremochloa bimaculata, Lomandra confertifolia subsp. pallida and Themeda triandra. Ridges, crest and upper slopes on rolling hills, steep mountains and very steep hills. Geology is mapped as Ccs (Shoalwater Formation). Carboniferous quartzose sandstone, mudstone; local quartz-muscovite-biotite schist. Not a Wetland. (BVG1M: 28e). |
| Supplementary description | Bailey et al. (2000), MH-11; Brushe et al. (in prep), Map units c92-11. |
| Protected areas | Byfield NP |
| Special values | 8.11.7: Habitat for threatened plant species Parsonsia larcomensis and Samadera bidwillii and near threatened species Habenaria xanthantha. Habitat for species at the northern limit of their range including Astrotricha intermedia, Comesperma esulifolium, Olearia nernstii and Macrozamia miquelii, and for species that are poorly known from the bioregion including Zieria minutiflora subsp. trichocarpa, Doodia dissecta and Homalanthus stillingiifolius. |
| Fire management guidelines | SEASON: Late wet to early dry season with occasional storm burns. INTENSITY: moderate to high. INTERVAL: >15 years. INTERVAL_MIN: 15. INTERVAL_MAX: 100. STRATEGY: Attempt mosaic burns on landscape scale, targeting different areas in different years. ISSUES: Apply fire in and around heath to break up fuel, to prevent extensive fire particularly during late dry. Montane heaths are essentially self-protecting. |
| Comments | 8.11.7: Distinguished from all other land zone 11 regional ecosystems by the occurrence on mountain tops and the low shrubby structure. Very limited in extent, occurring only in subregion 4 around Mount Atherton and The Peaks, in Byfield National Park (20km north of Corio Bay). Good, probably due to the remoteness and harshness of the site. |
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.
