Biology Reference
In-Depth Information
Figure 3.8:
White-browed Woodswallow. Several species of woodswallows are listed as birds of conservation
concern because they are thought to be declining. Of these species, the White-browed Woodswallow is one
that often uses replanted native vegetation. (Photo by Julian Robinson)
Paddock trees and cleared
areas with many logs
can be valuable places
around which to establish
plantings
grazing pressure are relieved - even for a relatively short
period. This is an important assessment for land
managers to make because natural regeneration is
cheaper than planting, but it requires different kinds of
grazing regimes than traditional set stocking.
13
Like scattered paddock trees, fallen timber is also
now known to be a critically important habitat feature used by many species of
native animals (see below) ranging from invertebrates to birds.
3, 14, 15
Given this,
cleared areas characterised by large amounts of fallen timber may be valuable ones
to target for planting, particularly as recent work has demonstrated strong positive
relationships between bird species richness (i.e. the number of different bird species
present) in plantings and the prevalence of fallen timber.
3
Some places not to plant
Just as there are some key areas where plantings are likely to be most effective,
there are also some parts of farms best to avoid when establishing plantings. For
example, intact areas of natural native grasslands are very important habitats and it
