Ruth Lawrence

In 2005, the Victorian government cancelled all licences to graze cattle in alpine areas of the state. One of the goals of this change is to allow the bogs and fens of the high country (above 1000m) to recover from grazing damage; however, there is concern that this recovery could have implications for catchment hydrology. Since the 1950s, alpine bogs have had a reputation as 'sponges' that store water and release it as base flow. In this paper we summarise analyses of hydrological data from the Bogong High Plains that aimed to further understand the role of bogs in the hydrology of the High Plains and to assess the hydrological sensitivity to changes in the extent or condition of bogs. The hydrology of Bogong High Plains reflects a wet environment with high run-off coefficients and evapotranspiration rates. Snow plays a critical role in storing winter precipitation and contributing to the seasonal run-off peak in late spring. Stream flow is sustained through the summer months by strong base flows. Groundwater flows are critical to sustaining stream flow during summer and the base flow volume indicates that the majority of base flow must originate from hill slope groundwater systems rather than from water stored in the peat bogs of these catchments. The analyses undertaken address potential impacts of changing peat land area or condition on catchment hydrology. The results indicate that the catchment hydrology is likely to have a low sensitivity to changes in peat land area or condition in small catchments. As catchment size increases when streams leave the high plains, the sensitivity further reduces due to the reducing areal proportion of peat in the larger catchments.

© 1990 Dr. Ruth E. LawrenceThe Bogong High Plains form part of the' Australian alpine area which contributes significantly to the water resources of south-eastern Australia. The dual factors of a high average annual runoff and low levels of variability by Australian standards point to the value of the area for water production and the need for optimum management criteria. However, the hydrological response of the streams draining the alpine area to changing environmental and land use factors has not been previously addressed. In this thesis the environmental and land use history of the Bogong High Plains Area has been documented. On the basis of historical reports and photographs, management decisions affecting the Alps, and ecological studies in the Area since the 1940s, trends in the environmental condition of the Bogong High Plains Area between 1850 and 1985 have been ascertained. The land use history of the Area has been documented, including: the Aboriginal visits to the area to exploit the Bogong moth; the use of the subalpine and alpine environments by graziers and their stock: the impact of gold milling activities in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries; the frequency, cause and extent of fire in the region; the construction and management of the Kiewa Hydro-Electric Scheme; the operation of logging activities in the area; and the tourist use of the region for summer and winter recreation. An examination of the hydrological characteristics of the Bogong High Plains Area then followed. Twelve catchments were selected for analysis, ranging in size from 1.35 to 146 square kilometres, and in altitude from 634 to 1922 metres. Differences in the physical, geological, geomorphological and vegetation characteristics were related to the average annual water balances and hydrological variability. A review of the literature on the effects of fire, forestry, mining, tracks and roads, engineering works and grazing on runoff was made preparatory to an assessment of the effect of land use practices on the runoff characteristics of the twelve catchments. Standard hydrological techniques were used to assess the impact on streamflow of bushfire, insect attack, forestry operations, mining activity, road construction, construction works for the hydro scheme, and cattle grazing. Some of the results were unexpected. Although grazing was the land use of longest duration, the long-term trends in streamflow and inter-catchment comparisons based on differential grazing pressures only partially demonstrated grazing had a noticeable impact on runoff characteristics. The effect of fire, forestry, insect attack and mining activity also yielded indeterminate results. By contrast, the construction of roads and the development of the Kiewa Hydro-Electric Scheme resulted in statistically significant changes in streamflow characteristics, including runoff volumes, baseflow properties, and the magnitude of flood events. A model of the environmental history of the Bogong High Plains Area is proposed, incorporating trends in climate, fire frequency, vegetation cover, land use activity, and hydrological characteristics. From the model it is suggested that the occupation of the Bogong High Plains Area by Europeans since the 1850s has resulted in irreversible changes to the hydrological regime which predated the period of stream gauge operation and which could only be partially correlated with ecological trends. The model is used to ascertain the hydrological response of catchments to different combinations and intensities of grazing, fire and site disturbance, in association with present and alternative climatologically conditions

The Rushworth Forest is a Box and Ironbark open sclerophyll forest in central Victoria that has been subject to a long history of gold mining activity and forest utilisation. This paper documents the major periods of land use history in the Rushworth Forest and comments on the environmental changes that have occurred as a result. During the 1850s to 1890s, the Forest was subject to extensive gold mining operations, timber resource use, and other forest product utilisation, which generated major changes to the forest soils, vegetation structure and species cover. From the 1890s to 1930s, concern for diminishing forest cover across central Victoria led to the creation of timber reserves, including the Rushworth State Forest. After the formation of a government forestry department in 1919, silvicultural practices were introduced which aimed at maximising the output of tall timber production above all else. During World War II, the management of the Forest was taken over by the Australi...

Seedlings of Xanthorrhoea glauca subsp. angustifolia D.J.Bedford (Xanthorrhoeaceae) were grown in burnt, unburnt and ash-rich soils from the box-ironbark ecosystem, northern central Victoria. Analysis of root architecture and the chemistry of leaves and roots demonstrate that burning improves seedling biomass development and acquisition of nutrients. An increased uptake of zinc by seedlings after fire is thought to be ecologically important and may infer vesicular-arbuscular mycorrhizal associations. The early development of a secondary root system is likely to contribute to seedling survivorship. Given the observed high adult mortality after managed fuel-reduction fires, the importance of understanding and manipulating recruitment dynamics through an adaptive and strategic fire management of the remaining populations is likely to define the long-term survival of the species in Victoria.

Additional Info: Abson RN and Lawrence RE. 2004. Monitoring the use of the Slaty Creek wildlife underpass, Calder Freeway, Black Forest, Macedon, Victoria, Australia. IN: Proceedings of the 2003 International Conference on Ecology and Transportation, Eds. ...

... Maureen Rogers, Barry Brockley, Rodney Abson, Ruth Lawrence ... Bridge Box Artists: Mark Cox, Will Monaghan, Josh Nicholson Environmental Box Artists: Mary Fleming, Ellie Kennett Habitat Box Artists: Mary Fleming, Ellie Kennett, Mark Cox Footprints Box ...