Studies of the status of unburnt Eucalyptus woodland at Ocean Grove, Victoria. I. The structure and regeneration

Abstract

In a relatively dry maritime environment at Ocean Grove, Vic., an unburnt remnant of vegetation was found to consist of a mosaic of scrub dominated by Casuarina littoralis and C. stricta, and grassy to layered woodland dominated by Eucalyptus ovata, E. viminalis and E. leucoxylon. Evidence from regeneration patterns and local history indicates that eucalypts are dying out and are being replaced by Casuarina species, together with some Acacia pycnantha and Banksia marginata. It is suggested that such scrub may be the terminal stage of a long post-fire secondary succession, since regeneration of eucalypts under existing conditions is negligible. It is unlikely that such vegetation would have remained unburnt under natural conditions before European colonization.