Sydney Olympic Park supports 20 hectares of remnant and regenerating Sydney Turpentine Ironbark Forest. 13 hectares are within the woodland of Newington Nature Reserve; the remainder is within the Buffer Zone of Newington Armory and within Narawang Wetland.
Sydney Turpentine Ironbark Forest is an 'ecological community' - an integrated assemblage of trees, shrubs, herbs, grasses, mammals, birds, insects and other organisms. It has an open forest structure and originally existed as a forest with either a shrubby or grassy understorey.
Different remnants can have very different species compositions - turpentine trees occur throughout the community, but the associated tree, shrub and groundcover species will vary with geographical location, local abiotic conditions and time since fire. Some species may at times be present only in the soil seed bank, with no plants present above-ground. The groundcover contains the greatest species richness.
116 native tree, shrub, grass and herb species have so far been recorded within the Sydney Turpentine Ironbark Forest at the Park:
42 plant species identified as having regional conservation significance occur within the forest. It has a high density of hollow-bearing trees (uncommon in other similar remnants), which provide bird nesting sites.
Download a flora species list for a full list of the species recorded within the Sydney Turpentine Ironbark Forest of Newington Nature Reserve (242K PDF).
Historically, the forest has undergone much disturbance including timber removal, grazing, mowing to reduce risk of wildfire and armament explosion until the 1980s, and construction of roads and clearings. Historical maps and aerial photographs suggest that the remnant has been isolated from surrounding bushland since the 1850s. Fire has been excluded from the forest since the early 1900s.
A small area of the forest formerly used by the Department of Defence as a burning pit was remediated and replanted in 1997. Weed control using bush regeneration techniques has been undertaken since 1997, and there is now a very low level of weed infestation.
Natural regeneration has been occuring in parts of the Buffer Zone since mowing ceased in the 1980s. Some parts have regenerated well; others have regenerated poorly. Dense exotic grass growth is thought to be adversely affecting regeneration in some areas, causing smothering, shading, and changed soil nitrogen availability. Methods of triggering natural regeneration are being trialed in these areas.
Species found in the Sydney Turpentine Ironbark Forest community have been planted on newly-built landscapes across the Park, linking remnant vegetation to a larger vegetation network that supports local ecological processes and flora/fauna species interactions.
Sydney Turpentine Ironbark Forest has become cleared and fragmented across its range due to past and present management practices. Many remnants now exist as isolated and highly modified patches within a developed urban environment. The NSW Department of Environment and Conservation considers the remnant Sydney Turpentine Ironbark Forest within Newington Nature Reserve to be a good representative of the community. It is highly isolated - the nearest remnant also in good condition is within Wallumatta Nature Reserve at Ryde.
Only 4.5% or 1182 hectares of the original pre-European extent of the community remains intact, and of this only 220 hectares is protected in conservation reserves (including 13 hecatres within Newington Nature Reserve). The community is restricted to the Cumberland Plain in the Sydney Basin bioregion, and occurs primarily on clay soils derived from Wianamatta shale. The biodiversity of the Cumberland Plain is one of the most threatened in New South Wales and has been identified as a priority for conservation.
Sydney Turpentine Ironbark Forest is protected under both the NSW Threatened Species Conservation Act 1995 and the Commonwealth Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999. It was listed under New South Wales legislation as an 'endangered ecological community' in 1998, and in 2005 was listed as a 'critically endangered ecological community' under Commonwealth legislation (where it is called Turpentine-Ironbark Forest of the Sydney Basin Bioregion).
Sydney Turpentine Ironbark Forest at Sydney Olympic Park is mapped as an 'environment conservation area' under the Sydney Regional Environmental Plan 24. Within Newington Nature Reserve, it is subject to provisions of the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Act 1974. There is no public access to the Reserve, to protect this endangered community.
Print
Email