Forest stewardship

Trust for Nature scientists work with us to develop a management plan which requires resources to implement. This involves:

> Seed collection, propagation and planting.
> Setting and checking camera traps to gather information on native and feral species populations and movements.
> GPS mapping of forest cover, weed sites and pest threats.
> Maintaining walking only access tracks to enable monitoring of remote areas and facilitate weed removal.
> Hand removal of invasive weeds.
> Feral animal control and exclusion fencing.
> Monitoring water quality in the river and creeks.
> Recording and mapping native species observation data.
> Working with Trust for Nature, landcare, environment groups, neighbours, council and forestry to protect this forest and to coordinate work on managing ecosystem wide threats.

Objectives

> Conserve and protect the high conservation values of this forest.
> Rehabilitate the forest’s degraded areas to increase sequestration of carbon and create better habitats.
> Preserve biodiversity and to protect our Victorian endemic and threatened species.
> Supply the highest quality water to the Tarwin River for both environmental flows and the local and wider community.
> Record biodiversity and detailed species data, and support conservation focused scientific research programs.
> Promote forest conservation and environmental education.
> Present a new model for small landholders to fund conservation projects to protect existing forests.

Mountain Ash - Eucalyptus Regnans

This forest provides for all

Tarwin River Forest provides ecosystem services to the local and global community.
Ecosystem services are the benefits provided to humans through the transformations of resources, including land, water, vegetation and atmosphere into a flow of essential goods and services e.g. clean air, water, and food (Constanza 1997).

Biodiversity is central to the production of ecosystems services.

While many ecosystem service benefits flow either directly or indirectly to markets, other services are often undervalued which has led to patterns of unsustainable resource use resulting in environmental degradation and loss of biodiversity.

Historically, the natural environment has been able to provide people with food, clean air, water and resources and has been able to clean up after us. We can no longer take these services for granted as increasing population pressure and increased energy and resource use have outstripped the earths capacity to regenerate.

Biodiversity underpins human existence, health and prosperity.

Golden whistler - Pachycephala pectoralis

Our Values

This forest is unique and endangered and we are committed to protecting it and supporting it to grow into a mature forest. It has an important role in mitigating the effects of climate change caused by our society's continued reliance on fossil fuels.

We believe that all native species within the forest ecosystems in the Tarwin River Forest have intrinsic value. They have a right to exist whether or not they are of any economic value to us.
We love working here in this forest and learning about the species that live here. We try to live sustainably and see ourselves as part of the ecosystem here not separate from it.
We stand in awe at the beauty and complexity of the natural world and find meaning and a deep sense of connection with the plants, animals and fungi, who like us, live their lives in this forest.

Highlands forest skink - Anepischetosia maccoyi

Meet this Forest

Our 2020 Trust for Nature management plan provides the following description:

The vegetation on the property is influenced by dissecting gullies and the Tarwin River East Branch which bisects the western part of the property. The forest canopy comprises a mosaic of Mountain Ash (Eucalyptus regnans), Messmate Stringybark (E. obliqua) and Blackwood (Acacia melanoxylon). The understorey vegetation includes a diverse range of small trees, shrubs, tree-ferns, ground-ferns, graminoid and herbaceous species.

Much of the wider landscape to the east, south and west has been cleared and is used for agriculture or livestock grazing. Some of the surrounding state forest areas are used for softwood and hardwood production.

This forest connects with adjacent crown land reserves, Mirboo Bushland Reserve and the Tarwin River East Branch Natural Features Reserve and other covenants and habitat on other private properties. There are now currently three adjoining covenanted properties with another on the way. This large contiguous area provides important core habitat area and a link for flora and fauna along the Tarwin River.

Forest ecology

This forest contains five important forest types. The ecological vegetation classes (EVC) protected include Damp Forest, Shrubby Foothill Forest as well as Cool and Warm Temperate Rainforest, all endangered EVC's. The forest also contains large areas of Wet Forest which is depleted in the Strzelecki Ranges bioregion.

Damp Forest
(EVC 29)

Conservation status - endangered
80 Hectares
Current condition is rated good to very good.

The most widespread of the EVCs in this forest.

photo - Ferns and Blackwoods along the Tarwin River

Cool and Warm Temperate Rainforest
(EVC 31/32)

Conservation status - endangered
? Hectares

Note: Flora survey
of the rainforest areas planned for 2024

photo - tributary to the Tarwin River - contains rainforest species such as Slender Tree Ferns and Southern Sassafras

Wet Forest
(EVC 30)

Conservation status - depleted
30 Hectares

Current condition is rated good to very good
Located in the steep gullies.

photo - bonnets
(Mycena austrofilopes)

Shrubby Foothill Forest
(EVC 45)

Conservation status - endangered
? Hectares
This is recognised as important habitat for the Strzelecki koala.

photo - Messmate with hollows for nesting birds and mammals.

Carbon

The Tarwin River Forest has the sequestration potential to store more carbon than any other forest type on earth. (Mackey 2008) Eucalyptus regnans (Mountain ash) are one of the largest trees on earth and are the dominant canopy species here along with Eucalyptus obliqua (messmate) and Acacia melanoxylon (blackwood).

This forest captures and stores carbon in living trees, fallen timber and leaf litter as well as the roots and soil. Calculations indicate this forest currently stores 12000 tons of carbon and can sequester an additional 1200 tons annually until it becomes a mature forest in 100-300 years time. Research (Mackey 2008) has also shown that it is more important to protect existing forests than to plant new trees and that native forests are the safest places to store carbon.

Mountain Ash - Eucalyptus regnans

The role of native forests in carbon sequestration

Native forests are the best forests to store and sequester carbon. The total carbon stored here in the Tarwin River Forest must be protected from being released into the atmosphere through degradation due to human and pest species disturbance and supported to grow to it's full potential to help mitigate increased atmospheric carbon dioxide.

Comparing high rates of sequestration in young forests (such as plantation and revegetation) with slower rates in older forests obscures the primary climate value of a forest, that is the stability and size of the forest carbon stock. Protecting the carbon stocks in existing (and especially older) forests is more important from a climate perspective than planting new forests or trees because the older the forest the more carbon is safely stored. It would take 40 to 100 years for plantations to capture the same amount of carbon as a natural forest. And since most plantation forests are harvested at 20 year intervals, they will never make it to the carbon-neutral point.

Biodiverse natural forests are the most secure carbon bank and are the best protectors of this stored carbon.

Gippsland's huge trees and dense forests are legendary

Carbon storage and sequestration potential

Conserving Carbon (Trust for Nature, 2016) estimates that there is an average of 126.79 tons of carbon per hectare in the 97.71 hectares of Eucalyptus Tall Open Forest managed by Trust for Nature using the FullCAM species algorithm. Wet and Damp forest EVC's are classified as Eucalyptus Tall Open forest in this model. Although individual properties are not identified in the report this forest here is roughly that size. In the same report, using other measures such as location and rainfall, it is estimated that between 100 and 150 tons of carbon per hectare is stored in this forest. We used a figue of 125 tons per hectare or 50 tons per acre.

The carbon carrying capacity is the amount of carbon that a mature forest would be able to store. Using data from Green Carbon (Mackey 2008) we calculate that the forest here would have a carbon carrying capacity of 1200-2000 t/Ha. Some Mountain Ash forests having a carbon carrying capacity of 2500 t/Ha.

Young Mountain Ash

Another method to calculate the carbon carrying capacity of this forest is by using data from old growth forest at Tarra Bulga National Park (Coops 1998) which also gives a carbon carrying capacity of between 1200-2000 t/Ha.

We have used a more conservative figure for the carbon carrying capacity of this forest of 1050 ton per hectare. This means the forest here can sequester an additional 400 tons per acre as we support it to regenerate into a mature forest, but the forest here could potentially carry much more.

Natural forests can take 200 to 400 or more years to reach their mature biomass levels. A study in the Styx valley of old growth Mountain ash determined the stand had been established after a fire in 1490–1510AD. The trees studied were over 500 years old. (Wood 2010)

We have some large trees and tree ferns that are estimated to be over 100 years old, and some Mountain ash older still. It is a good reminder that even one hundred years from now when some of the Mountain ash are 200 years old, this forest will not yet be at full carbon carrying capacity.

Mature forests are important for animal habitat. These huge old trees have the large hollows powerful owls need for nesting.

Biodiversity

This forest is home to an extraordinary number of species. It is an island of biodiversity in a sea of farmland. We have observed koala, platypus, echida, swamp wallaby, eastern grey kangaroo, brush-tailed and ring-tailed possums as well as sugar gliders, long-nosed bandicoot, wombats and forest bats. In summer there are many young striped marsh frogs and southern brown tree frogs, and there are also many tiger snakes. In the deep dark gullies you can find southern sassafras and the critically endangered slender tree fern. The forest floor is full of life and underground is home to thousands of the secretive Gippsland burrowing crayfish and the rare and endangered Strzelecki burrowing crayfish. The endangered South Gippsland spiny crayfish are also found in the creeks here. The soil contains a network of hundreds of species of fungi, like an invisible great barrier reef below the soil.

Red raspberry slime mould - Tubifera ferruginosa

Cordyceps species - fungi infects and then sprouts from moth pupae.

We have recorded 80 species of bird so far and counting. We have recorded blue-winged parrots , gang-gang cockatoos, powerful owls, pilotbirds and Lewin's rail. There are many resident lyrebirds and the ridges are covered with their mounds and the valley rings with their wonderful calls.

We have taken a special interest in fungi, and have recorded over 350 species, with many more yet to be identified. Many of these species only occur in damp and wet forest and the deep dark gullys provide them with the perfect conditions. One example is the tiny spined fungus, Beenakia dacostae that occurs on the trunks of the soft tree-fern (Dicksonia Antarctica).

In 2022 we found some slender tree-ferns (Cyathea cunninghamii) in one of the deep wet gullies that also contain many rainforest species. This was an important find as these are listed as critically endangered in Victoria.

We have really only just begun looking at the biodiversity in this forest, there is so much we don't know. It is estimated that only 5% of Australian native fungi have been described. Protecting this forest will preserve these presently unknown species as well as the iconic Australian species such as the Gang-gang cockatoo and platypus that urgently need our help.

Gippsland burrowing crayfish - Engaeus hemicirratulus

We share our records with Trust for Nature, iNaturalist, the Victorian Biodiversity Atlas (VBA) and the Atlas of Living Australia (ALA) run by the CSIRO to share our work with the wider community to help inform government and project funding decision making.

Due to the catastrophic bushfires in 2019-2020, many species including the Long-nosed bandicoot and the Superb lyrebird have lost a large proportion of their habitat. Researchers are finding that many species should now be classified as vulnerable or threatened and some are now endangered.

In 2021 the Victorian Government listed the platypus as threatened and the gang-gang which breeds here is now considered endangered. This forest is a refuge for many threatened species.

Follow the links below to the iNaturalist citizen science project to see all the species we have identified so far that call this forest home.

Tarwin River headwaters

Catchment performance

Research has shown that mature natural forests:

> Increase the amount of local rainfall.
> Deliver a high proportion of the rainfall into waterways.
> Lose much less water through evapotranspiration than younger forests or plantations. (Vertessy 2001)
> Buffer against intense storm events and flooding.
> Protect against erosion, waterway sedimentation and water turbidity.
> Reduce health risks and water treatment costs for communities. (Health.vic)
> Provide high quality environmental flows for threatened species such as the platypus, river blackfish, Australian grayling and South Gippsland Spiny Crayfish and Strzelecki Burrowing crayfish (DELWP 2016)

Highlands forest skink - Anepischetosia maccoyi

Meet this Forest

This forest supplies the Tarwin River with close to half a billion litres of water per year!

This water is critical for environmental flows and benefit aquatic, riparian and eventually marine species downstream.

The water is also essential for farms, businesses and townships. Water treatment plants are located at Meeniyan and Dumbalk that supply the two townships, which have a combined population of about 600 people.

Catchment management and source water protection provide the first barrier for the protection of water quality (NHMRC, 2011)

Stewardship of this forest protects this valuable resource for all, forever.

Crayfish Creek

Future projections

Due to climate change, Victoria has seen warmer and drier conditions above historical variability. This will almost certainly continue and will lead to reduced run-off from lower annual rainfall and higher evapotranspiration. Although there is a high degree of uncertainty with the modelling, the most likely scenario is that we will see a 20% decline in river flows by the middle of this century. (VicWaCI)

This forest is more resilient to climate change than other land use types and will contribute a greater proportion of total flows in the future when other catchments are declining. It is more important than ever to support our biodivese catchments and to value their contribution to our wildlife, ecomomy and health and wellbeing.

Threat assessment

A threat level is assigned to each listed threat based on knowledge of the threat’s extent, magnitude, frequency, and consequence (on a scale from ‘low’ to ‘very high’). ‘Very high’ threats will typically require immediate attention to reduce the likelihood of long-term damage. The potential threat level is a view of the threat forecast within the timeframe of this plan (up to 10 years) in the absence of any management intervention to reduce the threat, or following an unplanned ecological event such as fire, flood, or disease.

Introduced fauna:

Threat description: Both Fallow Deer (Dama dama) and Feral Goats (Capra hircus) overgraze native vegetation, spread weeds, and compete with native fauna. Deer are a growing problem across Victoria and Feral Goats appear to be regular visitors to the covenant.
Current threat level Medium
Potential threat level High

Introduced predators:

Threat description: Invasive predators including Feral Cats (Felix catus) pose a major threat to Victoria's fauna and biodiversity. Feral Cats have been observed on the property via remote cameras.
Current threat level Medium
Potential threat level High

Introduced predators:

Threat description: Red Foxes (Vulpes vulpes) pose a direct threat to native wildlife via predation pressure, as well as being potential vectors for invasive plant species like Blackberry. Long-nosed Bandicoots (Perameles nasuta) are especially vulnerable to predation by Red Foxes.
Current threat level Medium
Potential threat level Medium

Goat (feral)
Monitor for goats using remote cameras and by looking out for scats, tracks, and animals. Information on Feral Goat control can be found on the Agriculture Victoria website (URL below).
Priority High

Fallow Deer
Monitor for deer by looking out for scats, tracks, and animals. Please refer to section 6.15 for recommended detailed control techniques.
Monitor sites affected by deer and goat browsing and disturbance, as these areas may be prone to weed infestation.
Priority Medium

Cat (feral)
Monitor for feral cats using remote cameras, and looking out for scats, tracks and animals. Please refer to section 6.15 for recommended detailed control techniques.
Priority High

Red Fox
Monitor for foxes by using remote cameras, and looking out for scats, tracks, and animals. Refer to section 6.15 for recommended detailed control techniques, bearing in mind that fox control is most effective when conducted regularly, at a landscape-scale, and in cooperation with other landholders in the region.
Priority Medium

The removal of all feral animals is done strictly adhering to guidelines that can be found on the following website:

https://agriculture.vic.gov.au/livestock-and-animals/animal-welfare-victoria
https://agriculture.vic.gov.au/biosecurity/pest-animals

ABC Science Australian forests lock up most carbon http://www.abc.net.au/science/articles/2009/06/16/2599532.htm
Australian Geographic https://www.australiangeographic.com.au/news/2021/01/national-icon-the-platypus-declared-a-threatened-species-in-victoria/
Australian drinking water guidelines 6 (NHMRC, 2011)
Beder 2014, Carbon offsets can do more environmental harm than good, The Conversation.
Bekessy 2010, The biodiversity bank cannot be a lending bank.
Buis, 2019 The Atmosphere: Getting a Handle on Carbon Dioxide, NASA https://climate.nasa.gov/news/2915/the-atmosphere-getting-a-handle-on-carbon-dioxide/
Cames 2016, How additional is the Clean Development Mechanism? Institute for applied ecology, https://ec.europa.eu/clima/sites/clima/files/ets/docs/clean_dev_mechanism_en.pdf
Clean Energy Regulator http://www.cleanenergyregulator.gov.au/csf/how-it-works/explore-project-types/Pages/human-induced-regeneration-projects.aspx
Coops et al. 1998, Assessing forest productivity in Australia and New Zealand using a physiologically-based model driven with averaged monthly weather data and satellite-derived estimates of canopy photosynthetic capacity.
Costanza 1997, The Value of the World's Ecosystem Services and Natural Capital, Nature.
DELWP 2019, Ecosystem services from forests in Victoria: Assessment of Regional Forest Agreement regions
DELWP – Powerful owl data sheet https://www.environment.vic.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0023/32882/Powerful_Owl_Ninox_strenua.pdf
DELWP 2016, Benefits of environmental water - Migration of Australian Grayling in four coastal rivers.
DELWP Valuing Forest Carbon - Assessing the current and future value of forests in storing carbon https://www.delwp.vic.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0023/416408/8-Carbon-factsheet-FINAL.pdf
DELWP Ecosystem services from forests in Victoria: Assessment of Regional Forest Agreement regions https://www.environment.vic.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0033/459573/Fact-sheet-Ecosystem-services-from-forests-in-Victoria.pdf
Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act 1988, Action Statement Powerful Owl.
Gunaikurnai Aboriginal Land and Waters Aboriginal Corporation https://gunaikurnai.org.au/
https://www2.health.vic.gov.au/public-health/water/drinking-water-in-victoria/protecting-drinking-water-catchments
Ives 2015, The Ethics of Offsetting Nature, Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment.
Kaufman 2020, The carbon footprint sham , A 'successful, deceptive' PR campaign,https://mashable.com/feature/carbon-footprint-pr-campaign-sham/
Mackey 2008 Green Carbon - The role of natural forests in carbon storage, ANU Press.
Mackey 2008, Re-evaluation of forest biomass carbon stocks and lessons from the world’s most carbon-dense forests.
Macar 2006, Predicting the hydrological impacts of bushfire and climate change in forested catchments of the River Murray Uplands.
Morton 2022, Australia’s carbon credit scheme ‘largely a sham’, says whistleblower who tried to rein it in. The Guardian, 23 March .
Pugh 2014, How forests regulate stream flows.
Ravilious 2009, How green is your pet? New Scientist
Song 2019, An even more inconvenient truth, why carbon credits for forest preservation may be worse than nothing.
Stein 2023, https://www.noaa.gov/news-release/greenhouse-gases-continued-to-increase-rapidly-in-2022
Trust for Nature, https://trustfornature.org.au
Trust for Nature Victoria, 2016 Conserving Carbon - A desktop assessment of forest carbon stocks in properties and covenants owned or managed by Trust for Nature Victoria.
Wood 2010, Age and growth of a fire prone Tasmanian temperate old-growth forest stand dominated by Eucalyptus regnans, the world's tallest angiosperm.
Vertessy 2001, Factors determining relations between stand age and catchment water balance in mountain ash forests.
VicWaCI - Victoria’s water in a changing climate 2021

Tarwin River Forest

project information

Forest steward's welcome

Recognition of Traditional Owners