Strategic management of Aleppo Pines on Lower Eyre

Comparisons
A small <strong>Aleppo</strong> Pine (6-8 m) has over 25 times the amount <strong>of</strong> cones compared to a large hakea
(Tables 5 and 6). An average size <strong>Aleppo</strong> Pine (8-10 m) has over 1000 times more seed in the top
two thirds <strong>of</strong> its branches (974,524.4) than a whole large size hakea bush (718.6) (Tables 5 and 6
and Figures 8 and 10). The scale <strong>of</strong> these differences is not surprising considering the drastic size
differences between the two study species, which is apparent even when comparing a small (6-
8 m) <strong>Aleppo</strong> Pine and a large hakea.
While not all <strong>of</strong> these estimated 2,985 cones on a 6-8 m <strong>Aleppo</strong> Pine will be available
simultaneously as EPYTBC food, it is clear that food resource availability in sexually mature <strong>Aleppo</strong>
<strong>Pines</strong> far exceeds that <strong>of</strong> a hakea at any one time. Most pine species take between 7 and 15
years to produce viable seed (Richardson et al., 1990), although EPYTBCs have been observed
feeding on the immature cones <strong>of</strong> young trees.
It should also be noted that cone production on both <strong>Aleppo</strong> <strong>Pines</strong> and Hakeas reduces greatly
when other vegetation shades the plant. For example, Hakeas growing in shaded woodland
habitats are likely to be less productive than those in full sun. The Hakea sites detailed in Section
4.2.1 present data from plants with cone production representative <strong>of</strong> sunny habitats with minimal
shade.
Figure 7 Mean <strong>Aleppo</strong> Pine cones per tree Figure 8 Mean <strong>Aleppo</strong> Pine seeds per tree
Figure 9 Mean Hakea cones per plant Figure 10 Mean Hakea seeds per plant
14 <strong>Strategic</strong> <strong>management</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Aleppo</strong> <strong>Pines</strong> on Lower Eyre Peninsula to maximise biodiversity conservation outcomes