t 6 .:. i : ' l A 1.lA

BUIIBUBY

l 0

SU N KLAN D LOCALITYSCATE

10 20

P L A N

30

0 l 0 ZE

BUSSITTOI{

LEGEND

SUNKLAND AREA BOUNDARY.- STATE FOREST &

BECREATION & BIOLOGICALFOFEST RESERVES

PINE FOAEST CELLS

T I M B E R R E S E R V E S ( F O R E S T A C T )

EXISTING PINE PLANTATIONS

NATIONAL PARKS

PBOPOSED SOUTH COASTNATIONAL PARK

t_lI

EffiEE

t'-- .t-.'-t

\ ,------

' qcnpor.l tsarol dullsaNeq pue 6u/'^oropue 'tuotetogel pue pp!! atll u! sefi!^lpeaultotluour rep pue tlos

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pclaoJolq 'eunet pue enq 'uolpanar

]o uoleulquoJ aqt :lcalud puequnsaq] lo entsu eqt seslloEuls la oc aq!

loAoc

'/qrJnJeJ Iros Jood snor^qosll ol tqnop ou anp 'eJnllmuE?

roJ pel?u3lle uoeq s?q lr Jo eFlll rfie^'puel alueJ erou lnq alouroJ OJorrrroJ dq I pesssd or{,n sellles dlrBa aqlol 3^pteJlFun sB^{ pu?pFns eqJ

'uollessng

pu? eJJJIrqrllA\ 'dnuusN 'poo,r\-rlsrJ?f l€ tuFBJado ruls eJ? sIJ.n!-,nus 'suolprado uoF ?rlxa d?oqcfq lasJJo sa$ s.4s Aol I[?uIs [II"-raueE Jo at?tu"^pesrp aql 'fJlsnpul

Euflful,lA?s poo,laprBr{ eqt rq dntuoJeql Jo srBad rlJ?a eql asuls pasJl{lnuoeq ssq-(rrrul3./ou slttdl(prng)q"rref uado ,qFnb rood dpueu-Inoperd-lseroJ pu?Huns aqJ

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eore oql ]o uo!td!rosec

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dllnJoJE ueoq p?q aun[erEord luaru-e^ordur puBHunS {ooJqfuuoqaql Jo luorrpcunouu? fjBurunlards.dFf lsel Jo tuu4l eqJ 'suorsnop

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'p?aq? oa JIr/t\aurur"rtoJd pasodord eql Jaqlaq {ue{"I eq lsnu uorsFap 3 /16l ul

'uJel euol eql ur sarlr^rlauJo scuepq $eq 3ql aq 01 pareprsuoJq lsq^{ ap!^ord otr lsoroJ pu"Hunsaql Jo asn eldnlnur le peurrE l"sodoJdasn puq a sJ 1I 'lueual"ls p€du4plueuruoJl^ua u? lou sJ luauncopaql l?ql pssseJ$ eq lsnu 1I 'sluetx-lrdep luauru$^oA pu? selpoq rrJrl-ualts '?aJ? oql u.r sonqs proJ 'suorl-?sJu?tro palse$lur 01 pelnqlJlslpuoeq o^eq serdoC '/tu?Jqll lusuru"d-o(I slsarod aqt ls Aulpeer roJ alq?T.?^B ..luelul JO lueluelEls,, ? ur lnolas er? paloJd eql roJ su?ld ppJu]

'slu a u q J I et J a le/v l3 al-oJd saop pue seryeA uoqeeneJ ro[lepJ saop-uo+elueld Jo aNleuJeqlaq/A- Arlsatol uottsn poJd

sauddns JaquxlpooMpJeL! snoua6!pu! stuauJalddnspue /llaoos ]o spaau e.lnln| eql Jo!sJalec outlueld poo/a4os p"oj

'uollJnpo.rd ]o p^al

Aropelsqes e qJeal ol sJeeA AIJ|I.alel suo\etueld dul&oJ6 lsalse]eql asneJaq lesttlJ3 s! Pueuapaq] Bun uolpe stsero] e^llcnpoJdAepp ol elEsuodsult Alpt7os st u

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taqttnl noqlll pe els eq lsnuuoneJedaJd 'AJmuaJ tsr]-Alua^ fAFea aqt Aq aJJnosa.t alqe/Aaual sltl|

nces pue e^elqce ol eJe e/A Jl 'pastu6oJaJ aq ll/AsaStnosa.t algeMaual se slJnpoJdpooM peln!$uoJa.t Jaqlo pue uoAeJ'sJllseld asoq aJ 'JaquJll

Jo aJuel-rodLu! eqt 'peptdap Allenpe$ aresaltnos leJautu pue llssoj s,pFo/aql sV 'a^alpg aldoad Lsou ueqlAlatzos pue AutouoJa aqt ot tuel-todu! alou ale lJnpoJd lsalo!

'3rlrp .sJer( o^tl ul aulJueuulor 'sJ?o/( ,{ulgl $3u or{1ro^o uolEIrBId auld ol lsaloJ sFIl Jo salBpaq 000 09 ua^uor 01 psodord ? fq/tuessarou ap€ur uaaq sBq usld esn pu?l l\eu eql 'et$oddo u?ld eql ul u/noqss?'uollessng Jo qlnos $5JoJ otels Jo uaJe p?dllloJ ? sr pu?Huns 3r{J

'uolltnPoro poo^\pl"qpua suop?luqd auld '/€oloJe 'EunsJ puE "rou 'uou"er3er ol ue^rt serlrjordqly( (s'V'd'I I) s?oJ? dtuoud luauratuueur otur puslluns {ooJqfuuooar?paq 000 €82 eql Jo Eupoz eql $^lo^m 'aEpI{ 'V 'rI l 'slsorod roJ Jolsrurtr loql ^q Jmf sFItr JolIJso pocunorlu? u?ld osn puq lsaro; a,rrsuaqarduroc y

rNil tlcvNv|,lr 0NV'ltsn t'tdtlln|,u soNvl)tNns

'u2a|lpotJ aslr teqp sfi1,.,nlsuuleM qEo

lq peqdaaoloqd pu? pa1ldutoX

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'eqlro oullutrdrueours^o5 eql lq qpru.V uslre/l !t p€rutt

'pI AJ 3r. 6u3 oroqd !V,{q srqd r.sH(l'r€6ut!j lq F.u4l rdZIuo0t)rx€I

'Wuarg EuFl3rO ruou.{Jdrc r!.lol & sdeyl'uo&e,\€rs uspg lq 6up$rord .!qd ootoqd'p€ul3rqo €q lefl, uoFqu€d uoqm 1qr'ra!

uollotloro tg!.reuuo3 lo el8. oqr ut rd.r(e'&auioEpa|lvloui.e qla Aqa€l€rd-p€Nud€l4oorl oq &ur uoll'.lpnd ittl u! st.luv

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Almost the entire Sunkland areawas traversed by land classificationteams from the Lands Department

between 1918 and 1930. Alienation

4

_. - . . . i

was not proceeded with, PossiblYbecause of the sad experiences at the

time with the CrouP SettlementScheme.

Since 1950 the use of artif icial fer-

ti l isers had made this tYPe of land

more attractive and there has been

some pressure for alienation of

forest land in the region However,

there appears to be no real shortage

of fa rming land in lhe reg ion as ev j -

denced by the fact that in the adjoin-

ing Margare l R iver -Augusta Sh i re

39 000 hectares of the alienated land

is sti l l undeveloped. Current indica-

tiors are that this undeveloPed

alienared land wil) be required for

future farm develoPment.

a a r : : i : : : i .

A disturbing feature of the existing

forest in the Sunkland isthe extent of

the jarrah dieback disease (Phytoph-

thoro cinnamomi). The disease made

its appearance in the early 1950s and

has since spread very rapidly, due to

the particular combination of highly

susceptible vegetation, gentle topo-graphy and moist, inf€rti le soils. At

the present t ime about 16 per cent of

the total area, or about 45 000 hec-

tares, is affected by the disease. It is

l ikely that, even without any new

infections, some 60 Per cent of the

native forest in the area wil l be des-

troyed by unavoidable extensions of

rhe ex is t ing in fec t ions . There js .

therefore, a massive ecological

change in progress which cannot be

arrested and which Presents great

land use problems.

The Blackwood River in its course

across the Sunkland provides a valu-

able recreation area as it is the

largest river in the south-west of the. ra re . Due to i t s h igh sa l t con ten t -

the river rises in the drier inland

areas c leared fo r fa rming- i t i .

unlikely to be developed for water

supply purposes.After the river enters state forest at

Nannup there is an infusion of fresh

water from the forested Part of its

catchment, so its potential for f ish-

ing for the freshwater craYfish or

marron as well as fish such as Perchor black bream increases unti l the

}{r r:'-"

Jaiah dieback has already affected about 45 0A0 hectarcs of the Sunkland forcst

'dnuueatlw le qesseq tunqung lo Jaano ue uo puno] $alo! !.lelJeI huenb qOtH fqJrq,r sluEld Jo Jequnu z sulzluot1l sE tserelur l?In u?d Jo sl pu"l-{uns aql Jo ,tuBpunoq qtrou aql uo'oAuzu roqtlq^\ erll ul 'mr? auo

'(rolorlsra^lp'A) ur?{ Jo rolpno ue pue 'qerref

Jo rxJoJ f,qqnJqs e puB sllDusnDD!8u!X l]pt Jo uopeulquroJ oql ^qpeslrapeJ€qJ aJ" qrlq.r sleIJ DtButXeql 'dnuuEa,{lrtr^{ lE tlEssq ,finqunqJo .rerllno uB uo punoJ lsoroJ qercf,{tllEnb qErq ,{re^ oqt se qJns 'lsarel-ul l"ert Jo arp q3rr{/$ sad(l tsaroJlsle^Js surEruoJ puelluns JqI

'acuarnJJo palJrjlsal Jo eJ" qJrq.r(unsoJaJo unuladsouoC) qsnqo{ours po^eel elpoou pue solJodsD! uaqq! H peuteuun uE' (su !(tsttpolqDa !^ar)) ee r^orA pol,{ls Uoqs'DJolflJDJ D!tJaqutDT'(DtDtslJotllDtpuDlZuDU) qsnq eulouq sB qJns'sorJeds p.ra^es eJE eJoql 'sd talDdsluo8v pue Qra|ooq uoSodtsD1)qsnq alddeaurd S3 qrns ',{lluenb-a{ arou punoJ elB qJrq,r sercadsJO JeqUmU 3 'ro^3,!\Oq 'o.re 0J0qJ'elEls eql ur ejeq^\esla lseroJ rlElJefqlr,r palelJosse uon"la8a^,{aJols-Japun Jo flquessE lEuuou aql sur€1-uoJ puelluns aql '[Breua8 ur'lsqlu^roqs e^eq luautJedoo stseroCaql ur rrr€el lslJ€rf,ads e,(q lno peuJEJsfa^Jns uorl?le8a^ a^rsuelxg

eJoll

'dnuu?N JPau ?elE 8u-rur-u{,rs pu" clucrd pesnl[e,r Jaqloue sl'{oorg uqot 'tS eqt uo 'lood dnq€l-rEg 'EaJe JFcld pue ?uIqsIJ JEIndod3 sr seq3u"Jq qlnos pue quou slr

Jo uollsunI eql rPau ra^lJ aql Jo u€d'ssaleq eAtN 'rorrruns u,I .{tou olsas?al qcrq,r euo pue uearls rallEtusqJnu e sr rJ^rU ler?8rEld JqI

'punor

ffo.{ e dllsn r^ SuraouEJ roJ eJqe

1rE^3 are qJrq^l lsa^\-qtnos aql ulsra^u roqlo ,ral osl? eru elaql ',{lI^

-1133 luaudolo^ep dq lllodsun ^la^n-eler sr poo^\{Jelg eql Jo lr"d slqla3urs 'ernlnJ aql ur asaJcur ol ,(lalllsuraes ^tl^11c" slql puE SuleoueJioJ pesn.{lSurseaJJul sI le^y aqf

'sle^al lps sasIEl uISEe o3uo

leFI .{preH eqt Jo atuanuul I?PII

are either relatively rare, such asLambertia roriflora, or are well out-side their usual range, such as dwarfcypress (Actinostrobus acltminatus)and Conospermum ocerosum, TheWhicher Range also contains one ofthe largest occurrences of mountainmaJri (Eucalyptus hae ma t ox, Ion).

FaunaTwo extensive fauna surveys by

specialist Forest Department teamshave indicated that the range ofmammal species represented in theSunkland is almost identical to thatfound elsewhere in the jarrah forest.There are no rare species knownto bein the area.

The range of bird species is like-wise typical of jarrah forest associa-tions with the exception of thesouthern emu wren (Stipiturus mala-churus\, and three heath-scrubspecies found in th e Kingia f"lats.

Lizard species seem to be particu-larly numerous throughout the area

and especially in Whicher Block.One species of snake which is ratherrare elsewhere appears to be presentin the Sunkland-Mueller's snake(R hinip I ocep ha lus bico Io r).

Hydro logy

The water resource in the region isconsiderable, and will undoubtedlybe utilised in the future. At presentthe only major utilisation of waterfrom the area is the supply for Mar-garet River township from a dam onthe Margaret River. All the streamsrising in the Sunkland are fresh,including the tributaries of theBlackwood, Rosa Brook and St.John Brook. The Blackwood itself.which rises in agricultural areas tothe east, is ofhigh salinity.

Underground water is the majorwater resource in the Sunkland. Theupper sections of the sedimentarystrata contain very large quantities ofpotable water. The recharge rate of

these aquifers has been estimated bythe W.A. Geological Survey to be300000 cubic metres a day.

BROADSCALE LAND USEPROPOSALS

Pine forestThe draft broadscale land use plan

proposes to convert a total of 60000hectares, or2l per cent of the area ofthe Sunkland, to pine forest. Theproposed programme would takethirty years to complete and the mainspecies to be planted will be radiatapine (Pinus radiata) .

The pines will be established in aseries of separate cells ranging in sizefrom about 3 000 to 12000 hectaresand separated from each other bybuffer areas of native forest at leastl'5 km inwidth.

Within each of the plantation cellsonly about 75 per cent of the originalforest would be converted to pine.

f Milyeannup Brook, just upstream from the crcssing. This area is included in the biological M.P.A.S which total 124U hectares.

'sts@ouec Aq pasn AIiuBeaJJut st pue Al.tArce ]uauJdop^ap Aq lllodsun s! lsaro! ate$ qonolqt auluunJ Ja^lU pooMFeE ar41 L

'lalseqc ur Irr€IJo ralllno IIsrrrse pue lrolg ralsaq3 ul uortete8a^^drllE,rs JoEalP tullsoJelur ue'dtue,rssrseo aql roJ pauupld ar€ sed. l uoll"l-aae^ pnsnunJo seldtuExe a^rasard ols'v'd t\I euneJ pu? erou raq nd

'pelJatoJd

oq [II1'\ alrs J?lndod slql lP senle^JruaJs os 'lood dnqerr?g uleluotosl? plno.{\ srqJ 'drntue3 aql uI ̂ll"esuo,rlslado flrtx u.ro{ AullJnser lso.roJql{\or8ar ^lllBnb qalq auos puzsl"llq"q "unEJ 'sod,tl uopeloSo^ ? l-lserelul a^JesuoJ ol 'v'd'I

l €unBJpu" BroU E ss pasodord sr eprs qJEouo qlpF\ ul rul [ ]noqP lsaroJJo dulsP loorg uqof 'lg aql Euoly 'ea1lllu

-uoJ se^resau qAnoJqI uolle^ras-uoC eqt ^q uop?^rosar roJ pepuaul-txoceJ osla sEll\ eeJE srql uon?ars-er roJ lBrtualod s?q osl" pu" e^oqBot porraJa.r ?rou Surlsaralul eqlul?luoJ III/i\

'sarelsaq 0009 lnoqE Jo

''V'd'/{ raqclqlA aqI 'sed,tl uopel-aAaA Jo seldruexe a^rasuoJ ol pepuol-ur pu" tuarudolo^op tsaroJ auld

uorJ eplss los s35re are asaqJ pau-uEId eJ" s'V'd IN IeJreds lere^es

seare Al!.ro!Jd eunel pue eroll

.lsaJoJ

palJoJJe-esaslp a8p^ps 01 uo^e '[e

lE J3AO 1n3 eq IOU pFO^\ SJe^rJ qloqSuolE drlls a4orrr-002 ? t"r{l osr^oldaql qlla '.{4snpur

llru.res poo/$pEqSultsxe eqt [q pasn eq l[ls plno^{Eel? eql Jo lsou qEnoqllB paururadaq [r^{ luarudola^ep lseroJ aurd oN

'senp^ rruars turlslxo eql AururEl-urErx pu? s[?,rJel"^r aql Jo a8esnpuopeerJoJ 8ull"lllpEJ ol tunoueplno^\ sHt eJrlJEJd ul uop?arcerot ue^€ ^luoud qlr^\ poAeu"ur eqol tseroJ poo^ipJ"q sE-sre^ru laJBa-J"L I PUE Poo,{r{JBIg oql-soslnoJ-JalE/i\ ro[Bur eql Euole lseJoJ elelsJo suEd aprs" les ol pasodoJd s! U

seale Alt.roUd uollesi 3aU

'slqla^alqJ" ol pesnaq IFn\ turuuql ,fuEeq puB sJesrtnreJJo uop"ulquroJ E pue etup olqls

-sod lsolJoqs eql ur sEof^\?s eJnpoJdol eq III^1 EaJE srql ul arnllnJl^lrsuollElueld Jo urls ledrJurrd Jr{f

'palueld aq U,nsould eql qilql{r uo paurroJ spunoru/'{ol pu" paqAnold ,{lq?nororn ueqlsr 31rs aq1 'peloural u3eq seq roq-txll elqPlusqrlarll E reuE puEI eqlJo Suuealo alelduroi sa^lo^ur aurdol lseJoJ a^rl"u aql Jo uolsJe^uoJ

'lseroJ poo^{p&q J3PunuPluer IIIll\ lnq s[er aql splslnolsxe sodft IIos elq?tu"ld Jo seeJ?oElE'I 'sruuol fpuBs puE spu?s elluaJ-ur fta^ ,{lulBr[ eJE qtlq^{ s os alq?-tu?ld Jo uoluodord tsaq aql epnltulot sde^rns alls o^lsuaue Sul^rolloJpopeles ueeq 3^eq sIIaJ 3qJ

're^u aqlJo qlnos aupmld euld a ls-uatxo ,{ue aq ra^e IIr^\ aroql ,(leIIJunlsorrJ sl lI 'Ja^ru poo^Dlt?lg eqlJo quou patErol ere sllac tql llv

'8ullu"ld ruo{ plaqqlp\ sellsfdrrE.rs pu? s{eoJt tuop sEeJB o^[s-uoua aJB eraql puB eurd roJ JIq?Uns-un eJ? sllos dol oEpu cr Jq?J er[L

Biolog ica I pr ior i ty areasThe whole of MilyeannuP Block

(about 5700 hectares) is to be givenspecial status to ensure that it re-mains an undisturbed "benchmark"

area. It is one of the least disturbedparts o[ state forest anYwhere inW.A., having no interior roads at all.

The only entry by vehicles to theinterior was along a seismic surveyline some years ago. This explorationactivity is thought to be responsiblefor the only occurrences of diebackdisease in the block. Most of theforest is believed to be protectablefrom the disease. There have beensome small gravel pits opened alongthe Brockman HighwaY, but thesehave been closed, and a small Pineplot along the southern boundarYwill not be extended.

Milyeannup is particularlY wellsuited for preservation as a biologi-cal M.P.A. as it contains a widediversity of vegetation types fromhigh quality jarrah forest to sedge-land.

The whole of Layman Block (6 700hectares) is also proposed as a bio-logical M.P.A., although it has re-

ceived more disturbance and hasmore dieback disease than Mil-yeannup.

Hardwood forestThe large and continuous area of

natural forest not included in the

categories outlined above will in-clude the full range of soil and eco-logical types in the Sunkland. Thiswill receive similar management tojarrah forest elsewhere, with con-tinued logging and regular Pres-cribed burning for fire protection.Some rehabilitation work will berequired on disease-affected areas.These will progressively be replantedwith disease-tolerant eucalypts.

REASONS FOR PIN E FORESTP R O J E C T

The need to supplement the indi-genous hardwood timber supplies, assoon as possible, with locally grownsoftwoods is the major reason for theSunkland pine foresl Project, to-gether with the fact that large areasofSunkland forest are badly affectedby dieback disease and require re-habilitation.

The present yield of hardwoodsawlogs from state forest cannot besustained because of slow growthrates and the impact of diebackdisease. It is likely the yield will haveto be reduced to about half its Pre-sent level before the end of the cen-tury. To avoid a major disruption tothe rural economy of the South-West, and supply shortages, thisreduction is planned to be accom-panied by a progressive increase of

L The ichest bitd population is found in th+4unsuitable fot pine planting.

I

L Open flats arc a common sight in the Sunklat

pine sawlog supplies. It is extremelyunlikely that a sufficient reliablesupply of timber products will beavailable from external sources inthe future.

Fast growing plantations of soft-wood, in particular radiata pine, arethe only way that a sufficient quan-tity of timber can be produced in thetime scale necessary.

Eucalypts, such as red mahogany(E. resinifera), Tasmanian blue gum(E. globulus) and tallowwood (8.microcorys), which show promise inthe Sunkland will require crop rota-tions twice as long as Pine. TheY

A pool in the Margarct Rivet with itsown naturcl "diving rcck" iust beneaththe surface.

II

'pu?Huns oqlul sod,(l uo{l"leta^ aql Jo aEpol^rou{a^rsueue u? elelnunrJs ol luaur-Uedop eql palqEue sBq srqJ 'qu\orE

auld JoJ ̂lrFq"lrns Jo rolrrpaJd prd?J? se pesn eq u?r uon?loAo^ a^llEuluelxe leq^\ 01 eunuJalep ol lual-uoc qcrEaseJ slqBJeprsuoJe qlp\ lnq'se&q

1os qlpr ^llE rseq pouJeruoJ^a^Jns etrs uo eulq IInJ paEeAuo uoeqs"r{ JaJrIIo uB 116I l(lJEe aJurs

Ae ns uorleleba^ pue llos

.$rJeds eurd paJlsep eqlJo sluoujonnbeJ IaSJIIU3J aql euru-Ielep 01 lJoJJe qrlBasaj e^$ualurue 'flpuocas puE 'fa^Jns

los pol"Fpe '^llsJIJ :our[€J8ord aurluqd eurdE Jo luauacuauuoJ eql ol sellslnbal-ard p4uasso o^U eJ? areql'saurdJoJ elqplrnsun almb aq o1 u.rourl areslos euos prr? alllloJur dJeA eJ? slroseql alaq.r 'slql s" qJns sers uB uI

Ihll lvu00udHCUV]S3U ONVl)NnS

'pelms dllBeprsl sJroJ{Jo^r leJol l?Jnllncua?,(Fu?u$roperd aql qrlq^\ 01 'sls?q

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The need to supplement the indigenous hatdwood timber supplies as soon aspossible with locally grown softwoods is the maior reason for the Sunkland pineforcst prcject.

Soils have been mapped for thearea north of the Blackwood River,using a technique which combinesaerial photograph interpretation andground traversing. The distributionofsoil types is extremely variable andit is impossible to set out the planta-tions on a rectangular grid basis.Whatever planting layout is adoptedthe boundaries will inevitably beirregular and there will always beislands of native forest scatteredthroughout the pines and along thedrainage lines.

Pine t r ia I o lo tsSmall areas of radiata and larger

areas of pinaster were planted atwillcock plantation in 1952-54. Thisdevelopment was not proceeded withdue to lack of soil survey informa-tion and inadequate nutritional re-search. Sufficient well-grown pineremains to justify the belief thatgiven proper site selection, prepara-tion and fertiliser treatment, radiatacan be grown very satisfactorily.Because of its faster growth rate andgreater productivity, radiata pine isthe more desirable.

A number of small trial plots wereestablished in the Sunkland between1954 and 1969, but almost withoutexception, they consisted of pinasteronly.

The first really comprehensivetrial plot of radiata was planted in1969 in a multi-species trial for therehabilitation of a dieback site. Thisplot received good site preparationand phosphate fertiliser, and growthwas exceptional from the start.

This success prompted the currentphase of systematic nutrition andestablishment research aimed at pro-viding techniques for plantingradiata on as wide a range of Sunk-land sites as possible.

Plantings from 1970 extended theplots to cover all major soil types andthe total area of plots establishednow stands at 120 hectares. The newseries of plots contains at least 100hectares of Pinus radiota, the rc-mainder beingP. Pinaster, P, Taeda,

10

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Hydrological studies in the area havebeen under way fot some years.

"Molloy 13" pine trial plot showing thefour-yearold rcdiata pines on the ight,and the type of diseased forest itrcplaced on the left.

Among the many aspects of re-search being pursued is the potential

for the integration of l ivestock graz-ing and pine silviculture. Previouswork in the Blackwood Valley andnear Ludlow has shown that undercertain conditions the two can becombined very successfully.

Active research is in progress todetermine the nutrit ional require-ments of a number of eucalyptspecies which might be used for therehabil itation of diseased sites in thehardwood forest zones in the Sunk-land. A number of species showconsiderable promise for the pur-pose, such as W.A. blackbutt (E'.pstens), tallowwood (E. micro-corls), Tasmanian blue gum (E. g/o-Dalas), red mahogany (E. resinifera)and mountain grey gum (E. cypello-carpa). Prelimrnary results suggestthat the ferti l iser requirements forsa t is fac to ry g rowth o f these spec iesare l ikely to be similar to those ofpine, and that certain species might

be better suited to specific sites. Forexample, tallowwood for sawlogproduction might be restricted to themoister lower slopes, while pole-producing species such as red maho-gany might be concentrated on thedrier upperslopes.

/ I - . a r . i . ; , j . . r i r j . l t i - .

The hydrology of the Sunklandhas been under study for some years.In the f i rs t phase. a l l ma in s t rearns inthe area north of the BlackwoodRiver were rnonitored for seasonaltrends in salinity. As expected, it wasfound that the salinity levels ofstreams originating in the sedimen-tary basin were notably low, rarelyrising above 250 p.p.m. at the worsttime of the year. However, allstreams originating in the DarlingPlateau had markedly higher saltlevels, especially those from areascleared for farming. Salinity levelswere of the order of400 p.p.m. in thewinter, rising to I 000- I 800 p.p.m. inlate spring.

In the second phas€ of this work,

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F

The destruction of the native vegeta-tion by the disease has no doubtdecreased evapotranspiration in thecatchm€nt and thus increased therun-off.

Rehabilitation of disease-affectedareas with pines will minirnise anyundesirable influence of dieback onthe quality or quantity ofthe run-off.

The major water resource in the

area, however, is underground (sub-artesian) water. It is probable thatexploitation of these undergroundsupplies will provide the cheapestand greatest yield of water in thefuture. Current research and limitedexperience with bores tapping aqui-fers in the Wanneroo areasuggest thepine project is compatible with thisactivity.

No long-term detrimental effectssuch as a change in pH of the wateroriginating from a predominantlypine catchment are expected. Such achange might be expected to haveundesirable consequences for aqua-tic fauna.

Evidence from a forty-year-oldplantation at Grimwade where thewaterpH in a pine catchment is cur-rently the same as that of the adja-cent hardwood catchment indicatesthe unlikelihood of such changes inthe Sunkland.

lmoact on fau naChanges to vegetation within the

20 per cent ofthe area to be graduallyconverted to pines over thirty yearswill undoubtedly affect some fauna.The larger macropods arelikely to befavoured by the pine planting pro-ject. Observations in pine planta-tions elsewhere in Western Australiasuggest that the cover afforded byyoung pines and the fresh herba-ceous understorey which developsafter clearing lead to a build-up ofpopulations of the grey kangaroo(Mqcropus fuliginosus) and thebrush wallaby (M. irma).

Some smaller marsupials such asthe quokka (Setonix brachyurus),the quenda (Isoodon obesulus) andthe water rut (Hydromrs chrrso-gasterl will be little affected as theirprime habitats will not be changed.Others such as the honey possum(Tarsipes spencerae) will probably beadversely affected. However, thereare no rare mammal species in theSunkland and all will be adequatelycatered for in the very large areas ofhardwood forest which will remain.It should be noted that destruction ofhabitat and food source (especiallyplants of the family (Proteaceae) bythe dieback disease will result in areduction in the numbers of some ofthe more specialised fauna.

Experimental pine silviculturc and pas-ture establishment at Jarrahwood. Thepine seedlings were planted severalmonths before this photognph wastaken.

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