baumzaehlen - Primeval Forests & Their Trees

Kanangra-Boyd National Park, New South Wales, Australia - Boyd Plateau

Kanangra-Boyd National Park (687 km ² ) forms a part of the Greater Blue Mountains Area World Heritage Site (10 300 km ² ). The park comprises Boyd Plateau (elev. 1000-1200 metres) together with mountains and gorges east of it. Soils are rather infertile; consequently Eucalyptus dominates throughout the park.

Vistas from the edge of the plateau are gorgeous. Vegetation type at the edge is heath or scrub, further from the edge vegetation gets taller. However, the forests of the Boyd Plateau are rather low subalpine woodland ¹ , and tree flora diversity is quite low. Nevertheless, identification, particularly Eucalyptus identification, is not easy (for more about Eucalyptus identification, see Snowy River National Park ). The main tree species are Eucalyptus pauciflora (snow gum), E. macarthurii (Camden woollybutt) and E. dalrympleana (white mountain gum). On the more sheltered sites, E. fastigata (brown barrel) appears and the forest gets taller and is classified as wet sclerophyll forest ¹ , although the above-mentioned subalpine woodland is actually just as wet. Before the establishment of the park (1972), E. fastigata was logged in places ² .

Understory is sparse and hiking off-trail is easy on the plateau. Camping outside designated places is allowed. There are leeches in the forest.

References:

1 Keith, D. (2004): Ocean Shores to Desert Dunes, the Native Vegetation of New South Wales and the ACT. Dep. of Environment and Conservation (NSW).

2 Kanangra Boyd National Park . 1996. NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service.

Official site:

http://www.nationalparks.nsw.gov.au/visit-a-park/parks/KanangraBoyd-National-Park