Climate Change

Is climate change affecting tuart (Eucalyptus gomphocephala) health?

A landscape-scale survey that was undertaken in 2003 revealed that tuart showed various levels of health across its distribution on the Swan Coastal Plain in southwest WA. In some areas severe crown dieback and mass mortality was recorded. Whether these observations were part of an ongoing decline trend or a more periodic phenomenon is something that is unknown.

It is, however, believed that the past and ongoing changes in climate in southwest WA are increasingly having a negative effect on the health of endemic tree species in this area. This project is aimed at building on the existing dataset for tuart by resurveying the sited that were surveyed in 2003. Combining these two datasets will then enable us to perform a landscape-scale assessment of, for instance, the impacts of climate change on this species. This work can further provide possible answers for the sustainable management of this iconic species.

For more information contact Niels Brouwers or Tom Lyons.