Recent encroachment on a Wet Heathland by eucalypts at Cape Conran, Victoria.

The aim of this study was to document tree encroachment on a 3 ha Wet Heathland in the Cape Conran region, East Gippsland, Victoria. Comparison of historical and modern aerial photographs indicated a clear loss of the heathland due to the establishment of forest trees. Southern Mahogany Eucalyptus botryoides (Myrtaceae) was the encroaching species, and this species dramatically changed the structure of the heathland to a forest. There was a 95% decline in the extent of the heathland between 1962 and 2013. In total, 89% of E. botryoides in the Wet Heathland had a girth over bark at breast height (GBBH) less than 50 cm, and most were <10 cm GBBH. Trees 50-200 cm GBBH were also observed in the Wet Heathland, hinting at earlier periods of establishment. It was hypothesised that the absence of fire from most of the site since 1990, extended drought between 1997 and 2010, and changes in local hydrology caused by the creation of a nearby road have all contributed to tree encroachment on Wet Heathland vegetation resulting in a structural shift to forest vegetation. Further research is necessary to unravel these complex, interacting processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]