DEPARTMENT OF PRIMARY INDUSTRIES
Species Selection Guide
Species Selection I ProvenanceI Advantages of Indigenous Flora I Environmental Weeds I Understorey I Seed Collection
Site Preparation and Management I Using the Guide
 | The information in this section is based on the publication: “Putting The Right Plant In The Right Place – A Landholders Guide To Species Selection In The Wimmera” - prepared by N & M Marriot, J. Steere, and C.Hajek. The primary purpose of the guide is to assist landholders in the Wimmera region to select the most appropriate plant species for revegetation projects they are planning. Species selection forms one of the initial steps in such projects, and can impact on the success or failure of the venture. It is therefore important to “get it right the first time” as mistakes can be both costly and difficult to correct. Such projects require long term planning, and are preferably carried out in the context of a whole farm plan. A whole farm plan will ensure that any tree or shrub planting compliments your other goals, and is done strategically, so as to maximise the benefits to the landholder and the environment. |
 Vegetation Species Selection Land Units | This map shows Land Management Units in the Wimmera region. These units broadly show areas with similar landforms as well as similar soil and vegetation groups. The map can be clicked onto from the legend to take you to lists of the Indigenous Species and Non-Indigenous Native Species which are most suitable for the relevant unit. |
Species Selection
The lists provide a variety of indigenous and non-indigenous native plant species suitable for a range of sites and objectives likely to be found in the Wimmera. In this case indigenous species refers to those species that occur naturally and are common within that landscape division. Whilst non-indigenous natives refers to species that occur naturally on mainland Australia, but not in the Wimmera. Due to constraints in space and information, neither of the lists is exhaustive. Furthermore, the landscape divisions provide only a broad outline of typical sites contained in each land management unit - within which there will be variations in site conditions such that not all species will be suitable. For this reason a checklist outlining the characteristics of each species has been included. It is also recommended that you consult with local landholders and people with technical expertise in revegetation before making a final decision. Selection of species for inclusion in this publication was based on several factors such as; availability from nurseries, ease of propagation and degree of occurrence. In drawing up the lists, a wide range of people with knowledge and experience in revegetation in the Wimmera were consulted.
Landholders are also encouraged to use more than one species. Monocultures are much more susceptible to insect and disease attack, have lower habitat value and can be less aesthetically pleasing. Substantial long-term revegetation programs can benefit from wide species variety as a means of trialing which species perform best on the site.
In selecting species from the lists provided there are a number of factors the landholder should consider. These are:
Environmental conditions
What are the conditions under which the plant must grow? (e.g. rainfall, exposure to wind and frost, soil texture, pH and salinity, drainage, depth to impeding layers of rock or clay, availability of ground water).
Objectives
What characteristics are required of the plants to successfully achieve your purpose? (e.g. timber quality, form, height, width, density, longevity, growth rate, flowers).
Available resources
What resources can you afford to invest? Species vary in the amount of care and attention they require, and this can affect site preparation, protection and management costs.
Provenance
Plant species are often exhibit variation in their characteristic across their geographic range as a result of years of adaptation to particular site conditions. As a rule the wider a species geographic range, the greater the variation. An individual’s site of geographic origin is described as its provenance (Costermans), and knowledge of this is important if the landholder is looking for a particular feature. Typical situations where provenance selection is important is with the revegetation of saline sites or the establishment of agroforestry plantation. Eucalyptus camaldulensis (Red Gum) for instance has some provenances which exhibit salt tolerance and other which do not, some will do well on light soils and other on heavy. Particular provenances are also often sought for the better form, growth rates or frost tolerance they exhibit. When purchasing seed or seedlings careful records of provenance should be kept in case more are required in the future, or if the plants perform badly so that provenance can be avoided in the future.
Advantages of Indigenous Flora
Indigenous species have been listed separately to clearly identify them and to some extent to help identify the appropriate landscape division. The first step in any species selection should be to identify what would have grown on the site originally, as this will give an indication of site quality and the environmental conditions that prevail. Remnant vegetation either on the site or on a similar site nearby can be used for this purpose and there are several suitable botanical texts available to help you do this (see further reading). Assistance in plant identification and advice on indigenous flora is also available from the Department of Sustainability and Environment.
Indigenous species have a wide range of advantages over other species as they will be adapted to the particular conditions prevailing on the planting site. This usually makes them easier to establish, more likely to survive, and of more benefit to the environment, particularly in terms of habitat. There will also be no risk of the species escaping. Invading area of natural bush and becoming an environmental weed. Landholders should be particularly aware of the environmental values of a planting site which forms part of a strategic link between existing blocks of natural vegetation, is on stream or river frontage, has degraded stands of remnant vegetation within it (e.g. over-mature trees), or is adjacent to blocks of undisturbed vegetation.
Where the landholder chooses to use indigenous species, they should attempt to collect seed collect seed locally for use in direct seeding or seedling propagation. Many farm tree nurseries will raise seedlings to order, using seed supplied by the landholder. This way the landholder can be assured that they obtain the best advantage from using indigenous species and maintain the integrity of the provenance. Where remnant vegetation is present on site, the use of natural regeneration is strongly encouraged. This technique is usually effective, low cost, and ensures the local gene pool remains uncontaminated. However, there are some circumstances where indigenous species may not be appropriate such as where the site conditions have altered (e.g. salinisation ) or where the landholder has a specific end use in mind (e.g. production).
Environmental Weeds
Environmental weeds are plants that invade native vegetation, often adversly affecting regeneration and survival of the indigenous flora and fauna” (Carr et al.) All stands of native vegetation in the Wimmera are subject to weed invasion, and landholders carrying out revegetation activities near these stands should be aware of this. Non-indigenous plants vary in their ability to spread and invade native bush and we have indicated those most likely to do so in the species checklist. Some particularly invasive species have been avoided, where a suitable range of less invasive species was available.
Understorey
Understorey can include herbs, grasses, shrubs, mosses, lichens and small trees that are normally found growing under taller trees in forest and woodland formations. On the Wimmera plains which originally would have consisted of a mosaic of open forest, woodland formations. On the Wimmera plains, which originally would have consisted of a mosaic of open forest woodland and grassland all blending from one into the other, understorey species would have varied in type, density and diversity. Understorey vegetation plays an important role in maintaining a balance in natural ecosystems. Trees by themselves provide relatively little habitat to wildlife. By including understorey species you are also providing food and shelter to a wide range of animal species. Many of these will be predators on insects (e.g. birds, lizards, possums and gliders), reducing the effects of pest insects in both the trees and adjacent farmland. Some understorey plants can also improve soil fertility, forming relationships with micro-organisms and are also crucial for the effectiveness of shelterbelts, preventing soil erosion, and contributing greatly to aesthetic values.
Seed Collection
Avoid collecting seed from isolated individuals or small stands, as there will be a high risk of self-pollination and inbreeding leading to lower seed viability and seedlings of diminished vigour (Bird et al). Furthermore, seed collected from closely related individuals can lead to plantations containing little genetic diversity, making them highly susceptible to disease and inset attack. In large stands collect seed from several plants spaced well apart (minimum 100 m) and mix it together before sowing. The collector should also strive to obtain seed from individuals that exhibit the characteristics that they are hoping to reproduce in their plantation, as these same characteristics may be inheritable.
Responsible seed collectors should also seek out and obtain the permission of the relevant land manager before removing any seed and ensure that the plant is not unduly damaged. In the case of public land other than park and reserves, a permit is required from the Department of Sustainability and Environment, whilst for highways permission must be sought from Vic Roads (external link). Collectors should also be aware that certain rare species of flora are protected under the Flora and Fauna Guarantee that authorisation from the Department of Sustainability and Environment should be obtained before these species are disturbed, regardless of land status. In all cases the collector should keep careful records of what they collect, when and where, for later reference.
Further information on seed collection, propagation and direct seeding can be obtained from the Departments of Sustainability and Environment, Greening Australia (external link), and a variety of texts listed in the further reading section at the end of this guide.
Site preparation and management
Appropriate site preparation and management is equally as important to the success of your revegetation project as selecting the correct species. A variety of techniques and practices exist and the appropriateness of these will vary with the site conditions, method of establishment, choice of species, available resources and you objectives. It is not the purpose of this publication to cover this topic in depth, and more information can be obtained from the Department of Sustainability and Environment, Greening Australia and the texts listed in the further reading section. Where possible landholders should seek our individuals in their experience of plant establishment under local conditions can be invaluable and may help you avoid many setbacks.
Using the guide
1. Determine from the map the most likely land management unit (LMU) your site falls within. These units have been adopted from the Wimmera Regional Landcare Plan (1993), and broadly show areas of similar landform, soils and vegetation. Some landlords in the south-west Wimmera may find they are not covered by this map and should consult “TREES AND SHRUBS FOR SOUTH WEST VICTORIA” (Bird et al). Turning to the relevant LMU table, read the description to see if it broadly describes your area.
2. Check each of the landscape units and compare this to your knowledge of the site (you should already have made yourself familiar with the site) to choose the one that best describes it.
3. Further check you have found the correct landscape unit by reading the indigenous species list and compare this to what you know of the sites original vegetation.
4. Read through the listed species, cross-referencing them against the species checklist to determine those that best suite your requirements, and make your section accordingly.
© The State of Victoria, 1996 - 2008.
This document was last reviewed on 04/09/2008