Litter Cover

AUS-AIF-FOR-LIT General High confidence

Benchmark Value

90 %
Direction: Higher is desirable ↑
Form: MinimumOnly

Scoring Curve

This curve shows how a field measurement for this indicator would score across all available benchmark forms in this context. The scoring engine uses 17 benchmarks together — the OptimalRange form drives the primary score, while 16 guard(s) constrain the result.

Evidence & Context

The key finding from this study was that across all monitoring periods and treatments—including both thinned (best-practice managed) and unthinned (control) plots—the mean surface litter cover consistently remained above 90%.

Metric Definition:

Percentage of surface litter cover on the forest floor in production forestry within the Arid Inland Floodplains biome.

Benchmark Definition:

Mean surface litter cover percentage observed in a large-scale ecological thinning trial in River Red Gum forests within the Arid Inland Floodplains biome under production forestry.

Justification:

This value is justified by the strength and relevance of the source data from a multi-site, multi-year study explicitly examining sustainable forestry outcomes in the target ecosystem.

Sources (1)

Preview of Restoration thinning has minor and temporary effects on understorey fuels in a regrowth eucalypt floodplain forest under conservation management - CSIRO Publishing
Restoration thinning has minor and temporary effects on understorey fuels in a regrowth eucalypt floodplain forest under conservation management - CSIRO Publishing Journal

Restoration thinning has minor and temporary effects on understorey fuels in a regrowth eucalypt floodplain forest under conservation management - CSIRO Publishing

View Source

Supporting Sources (3)

Additional references from the underlying research that informed this benchmark.

Preview of Ground cover monitoring for Australia - DAFF
Ground cover monitoring for Australia - DAFF
Contextual Support Government

Ground cover monitoring for Australia - DAFF

View Source
Preview of Soil condition | NSW State of the Environment, accessed August 10, 2025,
Soil condition | NSW State of the Environment, accessed August 10, 2025,
Contextual Support Government

The relationships between land management practices and soil condition and the quality of ecosystem services delivered from agri - DAFF, accessed July 28, 2025,

View Source
Preview of Types of erosion | Environment, land and water - Queensland Government
Types of erosion | Environment, land and water - Queensland Government
Contextual Support Government

Structural controls on the orientation of erosion gullies in mid-western New South Wales, Australia, accessed August 1, 2025,

View Source

Context

  • Region Australia
  • Biome Arid Inland Floodplains & Ephemeral River Systems
  • Land Use Production Forestry
  • Assessment Pristine Reference
  • Evidence Type ReferenceCondition

Lifecycle

  • Status Active
  • Version 1
  • Effective From 20 Mar 2026

Notes

This >90% litter cover is a resilient feature maintained under best-practice management and represents a high-health production forestry system in this biome.