A description of the Huon pine (Lagarostrobos franklinii (Hook. F.) C.J. Quinn) forests of the Prince of Wales and King Billy Ranges

Abstract

The large non-riverine Huon pine forests of the Prince of Wales and King Billy Ranges probably represent glacial refugia, Both are of the implicate rainforest type and hoth show changes in dominance and species composition of tree and understorey species with altitude. On the Prince of Wales Range, Huon pine dominates the forest over an altitudinal range of 320 m. On the King Billy Range, Huon pine dominates the lower 180 m while the upper 100 m is dominated hy King Billy pine. This difference may be due to dispersal rates, geology or climatic preference. The upper slopes of the Prince of Wales Range carry the only known examples of a Huon pine-dwarf leatherwood dominated forest. Both the Prince of Wales and King Billy Ranges are of high conservation and scientific value.