Biodiversity of Wielangta Forest - Wild Wielangta - Edublogs

Appendix 1: Previous Assessments
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Biodiversity of Wielangta Forest
Wielangta Planning Unit 02. Fiona Coates March 1993. This report describes the results of 10 days of
botanical survey of an area of Wielangta State Forest occupying approximately 3000 hectares
extending from Blue Gum Spur north to Griffiths Rivulet. This area incorporates key land marks such
as Wielangta Hill, Prosser Sugarloaf and the upper catchment of Wielangta Creek. Coates recorded
241 vascular plant species that included 33 Tasmanian endemics. 30 floristic communities were
described.
A review of this report was prepared by Duncan (1993). Duncan suggests it is likely that another 50-
100 species occur in the area of WTU02. 11 of the 30 communities are considered to have the
highest conservation significance.
Greg Blake (1999) compiled a report on the heritage values of the area as part of a submission in
support of a nomination for listing on the Register of the National Estate. This included data from
vertebrate and invertebrate surveys.
Duncan (1988) undertook a botanical survey of the proposed Wielangta Lake Forest Reserve. A
provisional logging coupe within this area was subject to detailed survey by David Ziegeler (1998).
This work demonstrated that the state vegetation mapping is an over simplification. The area is
mapped on Tasveg as E. pulchella forest (DPU) and E. obliqua dry forest (DOB). The detailed survey
demonstrated that the area supports E. amygdalina on sandstone (DAS) and E. amygdalina forest on
dolerite (DAD).
Two of the reserved lands have been subject to targeted botanical survey. These include:
Sandspit River Forest Reserve 1996 (North et al 1998)
Cape Bernier State Reserve Extension 1998 (Craven et al 1999)
Although these studies did not include vegetation mapping they describe greater variability in the
forest associations than are shown on current Tasveg mapping.
David Ziegeler undertook a broad survey of the entire Wielangta area in 2003 for Forestry Tasmania.
This was to provide context to a planned harvesting impacts over subsequent years. This data has
not been made publicly available.
Wild Wielangta