Rainforest Breach Mt Jersey – Coup 891 512 02
Authors; Rena Gaborov and Joseph Henderson; Field Team; Joseph Henderson and Owen Hanson
On the 5th of October 2013 representatives of the Goongerah Environment Centre (GECO) visited and
recorded rainforest breaches in the southern part of coup 891 512 02.
The rainforest is warm/cool temperate overlap, a rare EVC. This highly significant rainforest appears
to have been misidentified by VicForests’ foresters once again.
VicForests’ long and appalling record of not properly identifying rainforest and subsequently
destroying this protected EVC is serious – especially given the out of court agreement that was
reached between VicForests and DSE in 2012.
As the logging is still proceeding in this area we request that this breach be investigated as a
matter of urgency.
This report contains:
1. A section of the 2013 Timber Release Plan map showing the coup in question (Figure 1)
2. A table of indicator species taken from five locations along the southern buffer where the
Cameron (2008 ) differential key for rainforest was used.
3. A map identifying these survey points including the track log
4. Photos of rainforest cross over species
5. Table of GPS points
Figure 1 Coup, 891 512 0002 is located on the west side of Mt Jersey Road in the Orbost district.
The Rainforest Breech
Henderson and Hanson walked some of the boundary of the coup (track log in green Figure 2)
which they identified as possible rainforest. They chose five random points (RFKEY1,2,3,4,5 in
Figure 2) and applied the Field Guide to Rainforest Identification in Victoria; Differential species
keys for the delineation of rainforest boundaries (Cameron, 2008). At each site the pink tape was
used as a centre point where a census was taken of all vascular plant species within a five to ten
metre radius. For all five survey points the key identified the area as rainforest. The results are
displayed in Table 1 and the actual GPS points from the map are in Appendix 1.
After the five sites were surveyed the transect was continued along the marked buffer (Figure 3)
and any unrecorded plant species were noted and indicated in table 1 as ‘other’. In doing this it is
possible that species may have been overlooked, yet particular attention was paid to identification
of all differential species from Cameron (2008), within the survey areas.
N
Figure 2 Track log and waypoints. RFKEY1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 on the green track log are the waypoints where the
Rainforest Key (Cameron 2008) was applied and the results indicated the areas were rainforest. The white track
on the right side is Mt Jersey Road, North is at the top.
N
Figure 3 The blue indicates the whole transect where plant species were recorded. The surveys sites are in
the top right corner. Photo sites are also indicated by waypoints on the map. Mt jersey Road is indicated by
the white line on the right.
Table 1 Plant Species at found at the five sites RFKEY1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and other plants found on the transect.
East Gippsland Cool
Temperate Rainforest
Differential Species
East Gippsland Warm
Temperate Rainforest
Differential Species
East Gippsland Cool and
Warm Temperate
Rainforest Differential
Species
East Gippsland Warm
Temperate Sclerophyll
Differential Species
Site 5
Other
Site 4
Common Name
Site 3
Scientific Name
Site 2
Family
Site 1
East Gippsland Montane
Wet Sclerophyll Forest
Differential Species
1
1
1.Fern
Blechnaceae
Blechnum patersonii
Strap Water-Fern
1.Fern
Blechnaceae
Blechnum wattsii
Hard Water-fern
1.Fern
Cyatheaceae
Cyathea australis
Rough Tree-fern
1.Fern
Dicksoniaceae
Dicksonia antarctica
Soft Tree-fern
1.Fern
Dryopteridaceae
Lastreopsis acuminata
Shiny Shield-fern
1.Fern
Dryopteridaceae
Polystichum proliferum
Mother Shield-fern
1.Fern
Hymenophyllaceae
Crepidomanes venosum
Veined Bristle-fern
1
1.Fern
Polypodiaceae
Microsorum pustulatum
Kangaroo Fern
2.Monocot
Poaceae
Unidentified Poaceae
2.Monocot
Poaceae
Tetrarrhena juncea
Forest Wire-grass
2.Monocot
Smilacaceae
Eustrephus latifolius
Wombat Berry
2.Monocot
Smilacaceae
Smilax australis
Austral Sarsaparilla
3.Dicot
Apocynaceae
Parsonsia b rownii
Twining Silkpod
3.Dicot
Asclepiadaceae
Tylophora b arb ata
Bearded Tylophora
3.Dicot
Asteraceae
Bedfordia arb orescens
Blanket Leaf
3.Dicot
3.Dicot
Asteraceae
Atherospermataceae
Olearia argophylla
Atherosperma moschatum
sub sp. moschatum
Musk Daisy-bush
Southern Sassafras
3.Dicot
Caprifoliaceae
Samb ucus gaudichaudiana
White Elderberry
3.Dicot
Elaeocarpaceae
Elaeocarpus holopetalus
Black Oliveberry
3.Dicot
Elaeocarpaceae
Elaeocarpus reticulatus
Blue Oliveberry
3.Dicot
Gesneriaceae
Fieldia australis
Austral Fieldia
3.Dicot
Mimosaceae
Acacia dealb ata
Silver Wattle
3.Dicot
Monimiaceae
Hedycarya angustifolia
Austral Mulberry
3.Dicot
Myrsinaceae
Myrsine howittiana
Mutton-wood
1
3.Dicot
Myrtaceae
Eucalyptus cypellocarpa
Mountain Grey-gum
1
3.Dicot
Myrtaceae
Eucalyptus denticulata
Errinundra Shining
Gum
3.Dicot
Myrtaceae
Eucalyptus ob liqua
Messmate
1
3.Dicot
Myrtaceae
Eucalyptus ovata
Swamp Gum
1
3.Dicot
Myrtaceae
Syzygium smithii
Lilly Pilly
3.Dicot
Oleaceae
Notelaea venosa
Large Mock-olive
3.Dicot
Pittosporaceae
Pittosporum b icolor
Banyalla
3.Dicot
Proteaceae
Telopea oreades
Gippsland Waratah
3.Dicot
Ranunculaceae
Clematis aristata
Mountain Clematis
3.Dicot
Ranunculaceae
Clematis glycinoides
Forest Clematis
3.Dicot
Rosaceae
Rub us moluccanus var.
trilob us
Queensland Bramble
3.Dicot
Thymelaeaceae
Pimelea axiflora
Bootlace Bush
3.Dicot
Urticaceae
Australina pusilla
Shade Nettle
3.Dicot
Violaceae
Viola hederacea sensu Willis Ivy-leaf Violet
(1972)
Total No. of Species
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
8
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
7 12 17 20 38
Through the surveyed transect the dominant species was Dicksonia antarctica with 75-90% cover.
Olearia argophylla and Parsonsia brownii were the following two dominant species. These species
were persistent throughout the walked transect. There were only two eucalypts within the surveyed
transect (both mature. senescent trees), Eucalyptus denticulata, a species associated with Cool
Temperate Mixed Rainforest (Peel, 1999) and another unidentified gum species.
After RFKEY5 to RFSASSAFRAS Cyathea australis took over dominance from D.antarctica , still
retaining a 75-90% cover. Bedfordia arborescens became dominant over O.argophylla. In this section
of the transect mature Elaeocarpus holopetalus and Atherosperma moschatum subsp. moschatum
were noted. Both the afore-mentioned species are rainforest species under Peels (1999) definition,
Southern Sassafras being a differential Cool Temperate species (Cameron 2008).
Throughout the transect, and probably continuing around the lower boundary, rainforest species from
Cameron(2008) outnumbered, both as individuals and in terms of cover more than the sclerophyll
differential species. Due to this area not being typical it is regarded that this is precisely the sort of
area where the differential key should be utilised.
The following photos show that there are species from cool temperate and warm temperate rainforest
within the coup.
Figure 4 An example of cross over species on the coupe boundary,( waypoint photo 2, map figure 3). The
circled plants are Black Olive-berry (Elaeocarpus holopetalus) a cool temperate rainforest indicator on left and
on the far right and Lilly Pilly (Syzygium smithii) a warm temperate rainforest indicator in the middle right.
Figure 5 Mature Black Oliveberry (Elaeocarpus holopetalus), a rainforest indicator species within coupe.
References
Cameron David, 2008. ‘A Field Guide to Rainforest Identification in Victoria; Differential species
keys for the delineation of rainforest boundaries’. Department of Sustainability and the Environment.
Peel Bill, 1999. ‘Rainforest and cool-temperate mixed forests of Victoria’. Department of Natural
Resources and Environment, Melbourne.
Appendix 1
Waypoint locations using GDA, UPM UPS
End
photo1
Photo2
RFKEY1
RFKEY2
RFKEY3
RFKEY4
RFKEY5
55 H 646038 5867292
55 H 646184 5867376
55 H 646075 5867303
55 H 646451 5867637
55 H 646431 5867614
55 H 646400 5867600
55 H 646382 5867578
55 H 646370 5867581