Monitoring change in the woodland

To observe changes over time we set up permanently marked plots that we could periodically record.

We originally chose the Conservation Woodland for a study site because of its large trees. These are some of the largest trees we have seen in Cumberland Plain Woodland in western Sydney and are likely to be at least 100-200 years old!

Shrub species that occur occasionally in our Mount Annan woodland are Acacia implexa, Dodonaea viscosa, Myoporum montanum and Daviesia ulicifolia. However, the most common shrub species is Blackthorn, Bursaria spinosa.

Native groundcover species make up over 80% of the plant species in the woodland. How have these species changed in relative abundance over time?