From Terrestrial Ecosystem Research Network
JSON format icon JSON RDF format icon RDF ISO19115-3 XML

Blundells Flat, Ex-coupe 427A, ACT. VAST-2: Tracking the Transformation of Australia's Vegetated Landscapes

Created 25/06/2025

Updated 25/06/2025

JSON format icon JSON RDF format icon RDF ISO19115-3 XML

The aim of this project is to compile land use and management practices and their observed and measured impacts and effects on vegetation condition. The results provide land managers and researchers with a tool for reporting and monitoring spatial and temporal transformations of Australia’s native vegetated landscapes due to changes in land use and management practices. Following are the details about Blundells Flat, ex-coupe 427A, ACT.

Pre-European benchmark-analogue vegetation: the site vegetation was originally brown barrel (Eucalyptus fastigata), growing in association with ribbon gum (E. viminalis).

Brief chronology of changes in land use and management: 1788: Unmodified and intact tall open eucalypt forest; forest unaffected 1860: Area burnt by severe wildfire 1915: Water catchment area declared for Canberra –forest unaffected 1939: Area burnt by severe wildfire 1915-1954: Area managed as water catchment area – frequent forest fires to control fuel loads 1955: Commenced selective logging of mainly brown barrel (E. fastigata) 1956: Clear-felled remaining wet sclerophyll forest and pushed timber into windrows with a bulldozer 1958: Felled timber burnt in February 1958: 1st rotation radiata (Monterey) pine (P. radiata) planted by hand 1960: Controlled competing regrowth native vegetation, manually with axes, slashers, or hoes 1986: 1st rotation trees logged and crawler tractor used to snig timber off site 1987: Slash left on the ground to decompose - no ripping - too steep 1988: Roundup sprayed to kill regrowth. 2nd rotation P. radiata planted. NPK fertiliser spread around every seedling by hand 1990: Site hand cut the regrowth using brush hooks e.g. eucalypts, acacia and 1st rotation pine seedlings 1999: 2nd rotation pines thinned and pruned. Thinnings were left on the ground to decay 2003: Area burnt by severe wildfire killed all pines 2003: Sterile rye corn grass seed was sown across the coupe using light aircraft to stabilise erodible soils 2003: Killed pines and native regrowth pushed over and windrowed with a bulldozer 2004: Site declared minimal use - rehabilitation 2005: Contractors were engaged to manually remove pine seedlings - pines were defined as a weed. Other weeds not controlled 2005-2012: Site left to rehabilitate.

Files and APIs

Tags

Additional Info

Field Value
Title Blundells Flat, Ex-coupe 427A, ACT. VAST-2: Tracking the Transformation of Australia's Vegetated Landscapes
Language eng
Licence Not Specified
Landing Page https://data.gov.au/data/dataset/6a008704-2d6e-42f6-8a2d-51e3261c35a6
Contact Point
Terrestrial Ecosystem Research Network's Data Discovery
rthackway@netspeed.com.au
Reference Period 01/01/1818 - 31/12/2012
Geospatial Coverage
Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors
{
  "coordinates": [
    148.818714,
    -35.315292
  ],
  "type": "Point"
}
Data Portal Terrestrial Ecosystem Research Network

Data Source

This dataset was originally found on Terrestrial Ecosystem Research Network "Blundells Flat, Ex-coupe 427A, ACT. VAST-2: Tracking the Transformation of Australia's Vegetated Landscapes". Please visit the source to access the original metadata of the dataset:
https://geonetwork.tern.org.au/geonetwork/srv/eng/csw/dataset/blundells-flat-ex-coupe-427a-act-vast-2-tracking-the-transformation-of-australias-vegetated-lan