Grassy White Box Woodlands

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Environmental Youth Forum

Article by Toni McLeish - RLO in the North

Youth Week was approaching. Parry Shire Council had a great idea, an Environmental Youth Forum. The huge response from the schools within the shire, was unexpected - 300 primary school students wanted to attend. Parry needed help and one phone call to their local Rural Liaison Officer (RLO) led them to assistance from Bushcare, Landcare, Rural Lands Protection Boards, Citizen Wildlife Corridors and the Grassy Box Woodland project.

Two fun days were spent educating children about the environment. Parry Shire Council staff ran activities on subjects like recycling and growing plants. The Department of Land and Water Conservation entertained children with environmental snakes and ladders, WIRES had a fauna display and the snake man cleared up many myths about snakes with his live show. The group instigated by the RLO focused on woodland health, covering weeds and feral animals, diversity of ground cover, trees and shrubs, and wildlife on farms. All these activities were run at remnants near the Forum venue, with a health assessment of that remnant being the outcome.

Many more schools would have been involved if given the opportunity. The idea of an Environmental Youth Forum based on hands on activities, was in my opinion brilliant and can only grow and spread to many more areas. Future events could be coordinated during Youth Week, in community halls throughout the state. Keen organisers and participants, and interesting worksheets are all that is needed.

If you would like more information on the Forum or the activities , please contact Toni.

Email Woodland Management Group

The numbers involved in this electronicdiscussion group continue to grow with a good mixture of people covering the many aspects of managing a grassy woodland ecosystem. This ranges from the land managers out there trying to do it, to the scientists telling us about the delicate interaction between all the species in it. At the moment we are discussing a recipe for managing grassy woodland for production and conservation. If you would like to join the group then email:

Geoff Tonkin geoff.tonkin@bigpond.com.

Invitation

The Project Management Group for this project will be meeting in Wellington on Friday July 20. You are invited to attend a lunch on that date to meet with the Group and to talk with others about the work you are doing to protect Grassy Box Woodlands.

Please contact Geoff Tonkin on Ph 02-6367 7226 for more details.

Mistletoe - Friend or Foe

These notes were compiled by Geoff Tonkin RLO in the Central West with permission from David Watson, Environmental Studies Unit, Charles Sturt University, Bathurst following a talk given by David at a "Birds and Herds" day organised by Greening Australia

Aussie mistletoe facts and figures

• 90 species of mistletoe are native to Australia, of which 71 are only found in Australia
• No species have been introduced but several species are often parasitic on introduced trees
• Two species are root parasites, all others aerial parasites, attaching to the host plant using a specialized connection called a haustorium

Mistletoe and tree health

• Mistletoe do NOT necessarily kill trees as this can lead to their own deaths
• In low density, mistletoe has few deleterious effects on its host
• Hosts have many defences which may be less effective when the tree is stressed
• There is some evidence that unhealthy trees are more prone to mistletoe infection

Mistletoe as a food source

• Mistletoe is one of the few Australian groups pollinated AND dispersed by animals
• It exhibits extended flowering and fruiting season. Regionally there is always fruit and nectar available
• The fruit is high in protein, carbohydrates and lipids - often at a time when nothing else is available
• The leaves are very nutritious, high in nitrogen, phosphorous and trace elements
• Mistletoe feeds many Australian birds and mammals, especially during droughts and seasonal scarcity

Mistletoe as a nest site

• Mistletoe is a great nesting spot for Australian birds and mammals
• It offers dense cover and food close by
• Mistletoe also encourages hollow formation on tree branches after the mistletoe dies

Effects on diversity

• The more mistletoe the more food and nesting resources for native animals
• Previous research has found a positive relationship between mistletoe and diversity
• In a case study at Gundaroo there were fewer birds in a site in which mistletoe has been removed

Mistletoe ­ weed or wonder

• Mistletoe is often abundant on road side verges and in remnant vegetation patches
• It is considered by many landholders / land managers to be a noxious weed
• Rather than being the cause of degradation, mistletoe is actually an indicator of landscape health
• It is pollinated and spread by birds, consumed by animals, controlled by fire and browsing
• Abundant mistletoe in a remnant may indicate an absence and scarcity of native consumers (e.g. sugar gliders and possums) and decreasing tree health

Mistletoe management

If you are concerned that you have too much mistletoe on your property,

• Try putting up some nest boxes or hollow logs in high gum trees, to encourage possums and gliders to come back. It appears that possums (both brush-tailed and ring-tailed) and greater gliders can effectively control mistletoe abundance in many areas. Woodlands with unnaturally high levels of mistletoe are often missing these native herbivores because of hunting, poisoning, or lack of suitable habitat.
• Ensuring there are sufficient hollows and minimising the use of poisons (especially 1080) will help the natural return of possums and bring mistletoe back to normal levels
• For isolated trees in paddocks, possums will not risk travelling over open ground, and alternative measures may be needed
• Controlled burns in the understorey are an effective management tool, not just for mistletoe but many other native plants. Unlike many Australian native plants, Mistletow is highly sensitive to fires
• For trees containing many mistletoe plants (more than 5­10), try pruning off the mistletoe. In some cases, the tree will not respond, but it may respond with a flush of new growth

More than anything, however, take the time to observe mistletoes. Once you start looking, you'll find nests in them, notice a wide range of animals feeding in them, and generally appreciate them for the beautiful native plants that they are.

"Woodland Wanderings"

The Grassy Box Woodlands Conservation Management Network has released the first issue of its newsletter Woodland Wanderings. The newsletter aims to help people managing grassy box woodland site, as well as scientists and other woodland enthusiasts to share their knowledge and experiences of woodland management.

With so much unknown about management it is only through sharing what we know and trying new things will we be able to manage grassy box woodlands effectively. The first issue of Woodland Wanderings includes what will be regular features ­ a plant profile (Yam Daisy), an animal profile (Legless Lizards), a site profile (Muttama Cemetery) as well as articles about understorey research, activities in Geurie and Dunedoo, management of reptiles and invertebrates and a summary about grassy box woodlands, the Conservation Management Network and its launch at Woodstock.

Through the NHT funded Grassy Box Woodlands in NSW project another 3 issues will be produced over the next 18 months. If you would like to go on the mailing list contact Erica on (02) 9585 6659 or erica.higginson@npws.nsw.gov.au

A plea for those old trees in our farming paddocks

by Geoff Tonkin - RLO in the Central West

I have noticed a lot of single paddock trees badly scorched in stubble burning operations this autumn. As these trees - dead or alive - still play a vital role in our landscape it seems a pity not to take that bit of extra time to rake the stubble away from the tree before you burn. I know to some European eyes many of these trees look untidy and drop limbs at inconvenient times and there is a great urge to get out there and make it tidy again but if you can resist doing this you will have time for more productive things. Then you will benefit and so will the fast disappearing small birds and mammals that require nesting hollows and links to other trees and remnants.

Providing Conservation Resource Information to Farmers in NSW

NSW Farmers' Association is involved in an environmental education program, to deliver nature conservation and resource management options to farmers. This is funded through the Natural Heritage Trust and involves development of a conservation resource toolkit. The toolkit is currently being developed and will include (a) a procedure to assist in identification of conservation issues on farms, (b) fact sheets containing general information on farm conservation issues (c) case studies outlining possible on-ground management options to remediate environmental problems while demonstrating use of various incentive schemes, and, (d) a regional contact network through which landholders can access information on: advice, training, resources, and financial assistance for conservation initiatives.

Once the kit is released, it will be followed by a series of promotional workshops in regional NSW, during early 2002, to encourage landholders to become further involved in conservation projects and further utilise incentive and advice programs.

As Project Manager of the environmental education program, I spend much of my time in regional areas of NSW, observing positive conservation work being completed by landholders. I am continually seeking landholders interested in telling their positive on-ground farm conservation stories and would appreciate any input from readers. The project covers all NSW farmers involved in enterprises including mixed farming, cropping, grazing, horticulture, dairy and oysters.

For further information on the project, please contact

Belinda McNeill,
NHT Project Manager,
NSW Farmers' Association
PO Box 497 Mona Vale NSW 2103,

ph. 02 99133634 (bh), 0438191275,
belindamcneill@hotmail.com

Young Shire Council's Grassy Box Woodland Reserve

Young Shire Council (YSC) was the recipient of a grant from the Taking Action Now! project in 1999. The grant monies were used to protect an area just 2km from the town centre which had been part of an old travelling stock reserve. The 5ha area has not been used by travelling stock since the advent of modern road transport.

Many of the older mature trees had been removed since European settlement, leaving a woodland of trees mostly less than 70 years old. White Box is the predominate species, with small numbers of Yellow Box, Blakeley's Red Gum and Kurrajong. The understorey is mainly Red Grass, Wallaby Grass and Microlaena, with small patches of Kangaroo Grass, Corkscrew Grass and Snow Grass. Invasion by exotics is a major problem and YSC has been using chemicals to remove the St Johns Wort. Free seeding annuals such as Rye grass and Vulpia are well established along with the perennials Phalaris, Cocksfoot and Paspalum.

Drs Kevin Theile and Susan Prober are conducting trials to see if the Kangaroo Grass component of the understorey can be increased. Last spring, small plots were burnt and Kangaroo Grass seeds were scattered on the burnt areas. A good germination occurred and the grass is now established in these burnt plots. This seems to indicate that if the dry grass can be burnt in the spring and the Kangaroo Grass seed scattered on the bare soil then it is possible to get the Kangaroo Grass to establish and compete with the exotic grasses.

Students from Young High School Biology classes visiting the Young Shire Council site

Getting information

Rural Liaison Officers (ALOs)

Toni McLeish
“Kurrajong Hills”
Upper Manilla NSW 2346
Ph/fax 02-6785 6504
email: tmcleish@tpg.com.au

Geoff Tonkin
“Murrabar”
Cumnock NSW 2867
Ph 02-6367 7226
Fax 02-6367 7035
email: geoff.tonkin@bigpond.com

Ray Dowling
“Braeburn”
Murringo via Young NSW 2594
Ph 02-6384 6319
email: rayd@hn.ozemail.com.au

Team Leaders for the Rural Liaison Program
Jane Elix & Judy Lambert
Community Solutions
179 Sydney Road
Fairlight NSW 2094
ph/fax 02-9948 7862
or  02-9332 3913
email: inquiries@communitysolutions.com.au

and

Erica Higginson - contact in NPWS
Conservation Management Network Project Officer
P O Box 1967
Hurstville NSW 2220
ph 02-9585 6659
fax (02) 9585 6495
email: erica.higginson@npws.nsw.gov.au

CONTENTS:

Environmental Youth Forum

Email Woodland Management Group

Invitation

Mistletoe - Friend or Foe

"Woodland Wanderings"

A plea for those old trees in our farming paddocks

Providing Conservation Resource Information to Farmers in NSW

Young Shire Council's Grassy Box Woodland Reserve

Getting information