Disturbance of cool temperate rainforest patches in eastern Tasmania

Summary

The effects of artificial disturbance on the structure and floristics of cool temperate rainforest patches in eastern Tasmania were investigated over a two-year period. The effectiveness of buffer zones of varying widths in protecting the rainforests from nearby logging disturbance was also assessed. The width and nature of the eucalypt forest-rainforest boundary was also examined. Where the boundary of the rainforest is coincident with a sharp topographic feature the boundary is also sharp and is often less than 40m wide. Where the boundary is not coincident with a sharp topographic feature the boundary may be diffuse and greater than 40m wide, or, if there has been a recent fire, the boundary may be very sharp. In all cases, a buffer zone at least 40m wide is considered sufficient to protect the rainforest from adjacent disturbance.