We present a 20-year case study involving ecological restoration of a 50-hectare grassy woodland-sclerophyll forest complex. Access to expert knowledge, together with intensive and sustained management, allowed us to identify what might be achievable after the cessation of limited pasture improvement and livestock grazing. Actions included erosion treatments, weed control, planting, fire, tree thinning, grazing exclosure and assisted colonization. Floristic data from permanent plots and whole of property observations are reported. While some improvements were easily gained (native species richness, tree and shrub regeneration, sheet erosion repair) other problems need ongoing and vigilant effort (weeds, gully erosion, biomass control, promoting native forbs).

About the Speaker

Sue McIntyre is a plant ecologist who has lived and worked in rural landscapes across four states and six bioregions in eastern Australia. She has researched, and published extensively on grassy woodlands and the management of the ground layer for pastoral and conservation outcomes. She has advised the federal government as a member of the Council for Sustainable Vegetation Management and the Threatened Species Conservation Committee, and served on the board of Bush Heritage Australia for eight years. Formerly a Senior Principal Research Scientist at CSIRO, where she worked for 23 years, she is currently an Honorary Professor at the Australian National University. In recent years, she has prioritized field-based work: hands-on management, research and observation. The ongoing restoration of 50 ha of grassy woodland and forest has been a means of understanding the critical elements of successful weed control and habitat restoration.