Vegetation Extent

AUS-ASC-FOR-VEX General High confidence

Benchmark Value

50 %

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.

Evidence & Context

"In Ash forests, thinning operations must retain at least 50% of the live pre-thinning basal area."

Metric Definition:

Minimum structural extent to be maintained during thinning.

Benchmark Definition:

This benchmark defines the minimum percentage of live pre-thinning basal area to retain during thinning operations in Ash forests in the Alpine and Subalpine Complex biome under production forestry.

Justification:

Maintains canopy integrity while allowing for selective timber removal.

Sources (1)

Management Standards and Procedures for timber harvesting operations

Management Standards and Procedures for timber harvesting operations

View Source

Supporting Sources (8)

Additional references from the underlying research that informed this benchmark.

Australia state of the environment 2021: land, accessed May 11, 2025

Direct Evidence Journal

Buffel grass in Queensland's semi-arid woodlands - CSIRO Publishing, accessed July 13, 2025

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Bago State Forest - Snowy Valleys Tourism Upgrade Program - Forestry Corporation

Direct Evidence Journal

Forest Biodiversity Declines and Extinctions Linked with Forest ...

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Forestry Tasmania. (2010). Silvicultural systems for native eucalypt forests. Technical Bulletin No. 5.

Direct Evidence Journal

Thinning regrowth eucalypts Technical Bulletin

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Monitoring Eucalyptus delegatensis in Tasmania

Direct Evidence

Monitoring Eucalyptus delegatensis in Tasmania

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Policy for Maintaining a Permanent Native Forest Estate

Direct Evidence

Policy for Maintaining a Permanent Native Forest Estate

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Silvicultural monitoring in uneven-aged highland dry Eucalyptus delegatensis forests in Tasmania

Direct Evidence

Silvicultural monitoring in uneven-aged highland dry Eucalyptus delegatensis forests in Tasmania, accessed April 1, 2026,

View Source

Technical Bulletin 5: Silvicultural systems for native eucalypt forests

Direct Evidence

Technical Bulletin 5: Silvicultural systems for native eucalypt forests

View Source

VNPA-Alpine-Ash-forests-of-mainland-Australia

Direct Evidence

VNPA-Alpine-Ash-forests-of-mainland-Australia

View Source

Context

Region Australia
Biome Alpine and Subalpine Complex
Land Use Production Forestry
Assessment Ash thinning
Evidence Type RegulatoryTrigger

Lifecycle

Status Active
Version 1
Effective From 10 Jun 2026

Notes

Lower Critical Threshold: 50 %. No upper detrimental threshold — higher values are always better up to natural saturation.

Related Benchmarks

Other benchmarks in the AUS-ASC-FOR-VEX family.