Basal Area
Benchmark Value
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 18 benchmarks together — the OptimalRange form drives the primary score, while 17 guard(s) constrain the result.
Contributing Benchmarks
Evidence & Context
An upper detrimental threshold exists around >10-12 m²/ha, where woody thickening suppresses pasture production and increases drought vulnerability.
Basal area (BA) is a standard forestry metric that quantifies stand density by summing the cross-sectional area of tree stems at a standardized height (typically 1.3 m) over a given area, expressed as square metres per hectare (m²/ha).
This benchmark marks the upper basal area threshold above which woody thickening causes ecological harm by suppressing pasture production and increasing drought vulnerability in the Arid Karstic Woodlands & Shrublands under livestock grazing.
Based on observations from analogous systems and the meta-analysis indicating negative impacts on pasture and drought vulnerability above this basal area.
Sources (1)
Grazing exclusion has nuanced effects on woody carbon stocks across Australian rangelands
View SourceSupporting Sources (4)
Additional references from the underlying research that informed this benchmark.
A window of opportunity for climate-change adaptation: easing tree mortality by reducing forest basal area | Request PDF - ResearchGate
View SourceDoes grazing exclusion in Australia's rangelands affect biomass and debris carbon stocks? - CSIRO Publishing, accessed April 29, 2025,
View Source
Method for Rangeland condition monitoring: shrubland - Government of Western Australia
View SourceThresholds of biodiversity and ecosystem function in a forest ecosystem undergoing dieback
View Source