Tree Recruitment
Benchmark Value
Scoring Curve
This curve shows how a field measurement for this indicator would score across all available benchmark forms in this context.
Evidence & Context
Land-use legacies had resulted in one-third of river red gum forests and woodlands occurring as high-stem-density (>400 stems ha-1) stands at the time of gazettal. High-stem-density stands are characterised by dominance of narrow straight trees, a paucity of large and hollow-bearing trees, modified understorey vegetation and reduced coarse woody debris.
Stem density of living overstorey trees defining the threshold of hyper-dense woody encroachment.
Threshold for active management intervention (ecological thinning) in conservation reserves to prevent over-dense stand stagnation and ecosystem degradation.
Identifies the precise stem density above which resource competition leads to overstorey suppression and ecosystem degradation, establishing a core operational target for conservation managers.
Sources (1)
Can ecological thinning deliver conservation outcomes in high-density river red gum forests? Establishing an adaptive management experiment Gorrod, E. J., et al. 2017.
View SourceSupporting Sources (3)
Additional references from the underlying research that informed this benchmark.
Evaluating the success of a large-scale revegetation project in the Midlands of Tasmania Davidson, D., et al. 2021.
View Source
Guidelines for Sustainable Forestry on Private Lands in NSW
View SourceRehabilitation of Grassy Box Woodland: A Structured Review Whitehaven Coal. 2019.
View Source