When considering the Wheatbelt woodlands we automatically think of the towering trees such as Salmon Gums and York Gums that dominate the canopy but what happens at ground level is just as exciting.
Throughout September Wheatbelt NRM partnered with the Wildflower Society of WA to conduct surveys on woodland sites across the region.
Looking at dominant canopy species and the understory it was a perfect opportunity to get out and about, getting a glimpse of the beautiful wildflower season.
These baseline surveys involved selecting and setting up quadrats within each project remnant, where we will continue surveying into the future to monitor the change over time, after management interventions such as fencing and feral animal control. This will help us evaluate the impact of our work.
It was great to learn about the surveying techniques of the Wildflower Society of WA, and share knowledge between sites. A group of UWA students joined us at one site, to learn the methodology and complete their own surveys.
With the initial surveys all complete, the Wildflower Society team are now in the process of finishing up with identification and reporting.
The Woodland Communities surveyed include:
- York Gum
- Salmon Gum & Gimlet
- Red Morrel
- Black Morrel
- Gimlet
- Brown Mallet
- Powderbark Wandoo
- Wando
This Wheatbelt NRM project is supported through funding from the Australian Government’s National Landcare Program.