Rethinking pines in conservation areas

What's happening in Turtons Creek?

HVP have mapped parts of our Crown land (above) as plantation. It contains mixed species of different ages, has a mid-story and great ground cover...overall it is great habitat for Koala, Lyrebirds, Gang-gangs and Pilotbirds.

South Gippsland Council consultant ecologist report states it is "indistinguishable" from native forest. We are advocating for these areas on our Crown land to be preserved, not cleared for pines.

We are working with the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) to ensure HVP are following the standards under their certification and do not replace native species with exotic pines.

HVP may have a license to use this Crown land, but they won't have a social license if they don't look after out threatened species in line with community expectations.

HVP are planning to plant pines as close as 20m from these rainforest lined creeks. The rainforest and species that depend on it will be impacted by these changes.

We are asking HVP to follow the best scientific advice and establish a 200m buffer.

Our rainforest refuges are at risk of extinction if pines are planted so close to them.

FSC standards require HVP to implement "best available information" to protect these important areas. The best available information is 200m buffer zones.

Pine plantations this close to the Tarwin River will have an effect on the water quality that the people of Dumbalk and Meeniyan rely on.

Large native species buffer zones are the gold standard for biodiversity and water quality.

Above: Pine plantation on Crown land in Turtons Creek.

This land is sick, has many weeds and the creeks are impacted with sediment and unsuitable habitat for many of our native species.

HVP spray a combination of toxic chemicals that make their way into the catchment. The photo above is taken in Turton's plantation in Foster's water supply catchment.

We are concerned that without adequate buffer zones the high conservation values of Fellas coupe will be lost and end up like this uncared for Crown land above.

Impacts of converting native species plantations to exotic pines

Impacts to rare and threatened flora and vegetation communities

Native species plantations in Gippsland, including those composed of local eucalyptus species Mountain ash (E. regnans) and Bluegum (E. globulus), and other native Eucalyptus species not found naturally in the area such as Shining gum (E. nitens) are increasingly being converted to industrial monocultures of Pinus radiata. This shift carries well-documented ecological risks that compromise biodiversity, soil function, water systems, and fire regimes in and adjacent to high conservation value landscapes such as the Strzelecki Ranges.

Conversion to pines removes native plant communities, including under storey and ground flora, which support pollination networks, herbivore guilds, and fungal symbionts, and may include rare or threatened flora from rainforest and wet sclerophyll environments, such as FFG Listed critically endangered Slender Tree-fern (Cyathea cunninghamii), FFG Act listed Endangered Netted Brake (Pteris epaleata) and other rare and threatened species including the Butterfly orchid (Sarcochilus australis) and Skirted Tree-fern (Cyathea marcescens) all found in Fellas coupe and also present in other locations throughout the Strzelecki ranges.

Impacts to rare and threatened fauna

Native species plantations retain functional, structural, and ecological characteristics that support a broad range of native wildlife (Lindenmayer et al., 2000). In contrast, Pinus radiata plantations are typically low in understorey diversity and offer limited habitat for birds, mammals, reptiles, and invertebrates. Numerous studies confirm that biodiversity in pine plantations is significantly lower than in native forests (Lindenmayer & Hobbs, 2004; Lindenmayer et al., 2001).

Bird assemblages in native plantations are more diverse than those found in pine plantations and frequently include species of conservation concern. The replacement of native eucalyptus species with pine results in the loss of critical habitat for several local species, including the FFG Act–listed Powerful Owl (Ninox strenua), and the EPBC Act–listed Gang-gang Cockatoo (Callocephalon fimbriatum), Pilotbird (Pycnoptilus floccosus), and Blue-winged Parrot (Neophema chrysostoma), all recorded in the vicinity of Fellas coupe.

Moreover, a global assessment found exotic monocultures for commercial purposes were the most negative plantations for bird diversity. (Castaño-Villaa, 2019)
Eucalypt-based systems promote diverse microbial and mycorrhizal communities, contributing to soil fertility, fungal networks, and organic carbon cycling. In contrast, P. radiata plantations acidify soils, and decrease microbial diversity.

Impacts to water flow and quality

Pine plantations have high evapotranspiration rates, reducing surface runoff and stream baseflow relative to native vegetation (Vertessy et al., 2001; Zhang et al., 2001). Native plantations have more intermittent water use, allowing better aquifer recharge and seasonal flow buffering. Pine plantations can reduce streamflow by 20–40% over time (Vertessy et al., 2001). This leads to a drying effect on down hill forest communities, that when combined with the effects of climate change pose unacceptable risks to these communities.

Conversion to pine can intensify sediment delivery to streams due to more intensive soil disturbance, vehicle access, and shorter rotations compared with the 50+ year Mountain ash being converted in some locations. The cumulative effects of this threaten aquatic biodiversity, including FFG Act-listed species such as the South Gippsland Spiny Crayfish (Euastacus neodiversus) and Strzelecki Burrowing Crayfish (Engaeus rostrogaleatus) (DEECA Action Statements).

Invasion threats to high conservation areas

Pinus radiata is a recognised environmental weed in Victoria (White, 2018). Wildling populations in nearby native vegetation and roadsides are a significant problem. Calviño-Cancela and van Etten (2018) and show pine plantations pose higher invasive risk than blue gums.

Introducing pine into a sensitive landscape increases off-site weed pressure and undermines the integrity of nearby high conservation value areas. Pine needle litter in adjacent areas inhibits seedling recruitment and native understorey regeneration and have a negative impact on native plant species richness and increased exotic plant incursion. There were fewer native plant species and more exotics in areas bordering pine plantations. (Baker 2007) Given the small buffer zones along remnant vegetation in gullies and significant edge effects this impact would be a high risk in Fellas coupe and the Strzelecki ranges.

Radiata pine plantations have uniform fuel structures and accumulate deep litter beds, creating conditions for high-intensity crown fires. The volatile resin content of pine bark and foliage increases flame intensity and ember generation (Cheney & Sullivan, 2008; Gould et al., 2017). In the Strzelecki Ranges, converting native plantations to pine increases bushfire risk to nearby Cool Temperate Rainforest and threatened flora. Wet gullies and rainforest patches are vulnerable to ember attack from adjacent pine (Ashton, 1981; Mackey et al., 2002).

In contrast, native species plantations typically have more heterogeneous fuel structures, retain higher moisture, and support less intense fire behaviour.

Pine monocultures provide refuge for invasive species such as deer and foxes, while offering poor habitat for native predators. Reduced vegetation complexity simplifies food webs and supports pest animal population growth (Lindenmayer et al., 2000).

References

Ashton, D.H. (1981). Fire in tall open-forests (wet sclerophyll forests). In Gill, A.M., Groves, R.H., & Noble, I.R. (Eds.), Fire and the Australian Biota. Australian Academy of Science.

Brennan, K.E.C., Moir, M.L., & Majer, J.D. (1999). Arthropods in plantation and native forests in south-western Australia. Forest Ecology and Management, 118(1), 21–40.

Brockerhoff, E.G., et al. (2008). Plantation forests and biodiversity: oxymoron or opportunity? Biodiversity and Conservation, 17, 925–951.

Calviño-Cancela, M., & van Etten, E.J.B. (2018). Invasive potential of Pinus radiata in Western Australia. Biological Invasions, 20, 2485–2500.

Cheney, N.P., & Sullivan, A.L. (2008). Grassfires: Fuel, Weather and Fire Behaviour (2nd ed.). CSIRO Publishing. DEPI (2013). Advisory List of Environmental Weeds in Victoria. Victorian Department of Environment and Primary Industries. DELWP (2015).

Action Statement: South Gippsland Spiny Crayfish. Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning.

Gibbons, P., & Lindenmayer, D.B. (2002). Tree Hollows and Wildlife Conservation in Australia. CSIRO Publishing. Gould, J.S., Cruz, M.G., & McCaw, W.L. (2017). Using silvicultural management to reduce the impact of wildfire in pine plantations. CSIRO PyroPage, Issue 13.

Lindenmayer, D.B., Hobbs, R.J., Montague-Drake, R., et al. (2000). The ecology and management of plantations as wildlife habitat. Biological Conservation, 91(2), 155–165.

Mackey, B.G., Lindenmayer, D.B., Gill, A.M., McCarthy, M.A., & Lindesay, J.A. (2002). Wildlife, Fire and Future Climate: A Forest Ecosystem Analysis. CSIRO Publishing / WWF Australia.

Turpault, M.P., et al. (2010). Effects of tree species on soil nutrient cycling in European temperate forests. Soil Biology and Biochemistry, 42(9), 1428–1439.

Vertessy, R.A., Watson, F.G.R., & O’Sullivan, S.K. (2001). Factors determining relations between stand age and catchment water balance in mountain ash forests. Forest Ecology and Management, 143(1–3), 13–26.

Zhang, L., Dawes, W.R., & Walker, G.R. (2001). Response of mean annual evapotranspiration to vegetation changes at catchment scale. Water Resources Research, 37(3), 701–708.

David B Lindenmayer, Michael A McCarthy, The spatial distribution of non-native plant invaders in a pine–eucalypt landscape mosaic in south-eastern Australia, Biological Conservation,Volume 102, Issue 1,2001.

Advisory list of environmental weeds in Victoria M. White, D. Cheal, G.W. Carr, R. Adair, K. Blood and D. Meagher, (2018)

Baker Andrew C., Murray Brad R., Hose Grant C. (2007) Relating pine-litter intrusion to plant-community structure in native eucalypt woodland adjacent to Pinus radiata (Pinaceae) plantations. Australian Journal of Botany 55, 521-532.

Differential effects of forestry plantations on bird diversity: A global assessment. Gabriel J. Castaño-Villa

Castaño-Villa, GJ, Estevez, JG, Giovany, G, Bohada-Murillo, M, Fontúrbel, FE 2019 ‘Differential effects of forestry plantations on bird diversity: A global assessment’ in Forest Ecology and Management, vol 440 pp. 202-207.