Forest Types
Tasmania's forests are a major part of our island environment, community and economy, covering almost 50% of the state's land-mass.
This incredible forest area is managed privately (30%) and by the state (70%), as reserve or multiple-use forest.
Our forest areas are formed of a wide variety of forest types, each with unique characteristics; even though Tasmania is a fairly small island there are a number of quite different forest types within the State.
Tasmania's forests fall into the temperate climate zone, and are then categorised into five main forest types:
- Cool Temperate Rainforest
- Mixed Forest
- Blackwood Swamp Forest
- Wet Eucalypt Forest (wet sclerophyll)
- Dry Eucalypt Forest (dry sclerophyll)
Different types of forest develop in particular areas over time; sometimes the forest type in an area changes as the environment changes over time, and forest types may also change as the forest ages.
For example, a mixed forest cannot regenerate without a disturbance such as fire. If no disturbance occurs every 100-300 years, then the eucalypt species within the forest die out and the mixed forest gradually turns into a rainforest.
If fire occurs too frequently in a mixed forest, then the rainforest species in the understorey cannot grow and the forest will change into wet sclerophyll forest.
Throughout the world there are many different types of forest, although they are categorised according to three broad climate zones:
- Boreal Forests - mostly conifer species, found in cold climates of the Northern hemisphere.
- Temperate Hardwood and Conifer Forests.
- Tropical Hardwood Forests.
Many different forest types occur in each of these climate zones.
Each forest type possesses unique features that occur in response to temperature, rainfall, soil type, altitude, exposure, the frequency and intensity of fire and the interaction with surrounding animal and human communities.
Almost half of Tasmania's land area is covered by forest - a higher proportion than any other Australian state. Around 30% of the total forest area in Tasmania grows on private land. The other 70% is owned and managed by the State either in formal reserve systems such as World Heritage Areas and National Parks or as multiple-use State forests.
Since the Tasmanian Community Forest Agreement was signed in 2005, 47% of Tasmania's forests are fully protected.