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Abstract

One of the universally outstanding values of the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area (WHA) lies in its rainforests containing the tallest flowering plants in the world and in its ecological regeneration process. The mixed forests of the island include eucalypts towering to almost 100m, emerging from understories of rainforest often more than 30m tall. The rainforest trees can regenerate in small gaps created by tree fall, while the eucalypts require more extensive areas of bare ground, fully exposed to the light. Such ground can be provided by landslips and river erosion, but there is no doubt that the major agent of its creation is fire. The mixed forests will only persist widely in the landscape if fire occurs at a shorter interval than the lifespan of the eucalypts, which is 350-550 years.

Item Type:	Book Section
Authors/Creators:	Kirkpatrick, JB
Publisher:	Penguin Group (Australia)
Additional Information:	Text copyright © 2007 the Author
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