Conservation Plan Hughes Creek Landscape Zone - Strathbogie ...

2.2 VEGETATION
Ecological Vegetation Class (EVCs) is a vegetation classification system derived from groupings of
vegetation communities based on floristic, structural and ecological functions. Mosaics (combinations of
EVCs) are a mapping unit where the individual EVCs could not be separated at the scale of 1:100,000
(Berwick, undated).
Prior to European settlement, thirty-two EVCs 2 were known to have been present within the Hughes
Creek Landscape Zone (figure 3). The vegetation of Hughes Creek Landscape Zone was a mixture of
herb-rich Foothill Forest, Grassy Forests, Grassy Woodlands, Box Ironbark, Granitic Hills, Riparian
Forests and Perched Bogs. Herb-rich Foothill Forest is the dominant EVC in the Hughes Creek zone.
The majority of the zone was covered with Herb-rich Foothill Forest, most of which has now been
cleared but some large remnants occur at Caveat and west of Terip Terip.
The grassy forests were dominated by Red Box Eucalyptus polyanthemos, Yellow Box E. melliodora,
Red Stringybark E. macrohyncha, Long-leaf Box E. goniocalyx and Broad-leaf Peppermint E. dives with
a range of understorey plants. Herb-rich Foothill Forests were dominated with Eurabbie Blue Gum E.
globulua subsp. Bicostata, Messmate E. obliqua, Narrow-leaf Peppermint E. radiata, Candlebark E.
rubida and Silver Wattle Acacia dealbata and Blackwood Acacia mearnsii. Box Ironbark Forests occurs
along the western boundary of the zone and would have been dominated by Broad-leaf Peppermint,
Long-leaf Box, Yellow Box, Red box and Red Ironbark E. tricarpa.
Grassy Woodlands were abundant in the Central Victorian Uplands component of the zone,
interspersed with Granitic Hills Woodland, Grassy Dry Forest and Valley Grassy Forest. However,
Grassy Woodlands are now only represented in patches, the majority of which occur along the Hume
Highway roadside reserve. All of the Grassy Woodland and Box Ironbark EVCs are considered
endangered within the Goulburn Broken Catchment. The Grassy Forests Group (EVC Group 6, Tables
1 & 2) are mostly considered vulnerable or depleted in the Central Victorian Highland Bioregion and
least concern in the Highlands Northern Fall bioregion. Grassy Woodland communities were dominated
by Grey Box Eucalyptus microcarpa, Yellow Box, Red Stringybark and White Box E. albens. Ground
cover in these woodlands is comprised of grasses, sedges, lillies, orchids and herbs. Wattles provided
an understorey. The stream-sides supported an overstorey of River Red Gum E. camaldulensis.
The current extent of native vegetation in the Hughes Creek Zone has dramatically reduced since
European settlement, largely due to clearing (Figure 3). Table 1, identifies the Pre 1750 EVCs in the
Hughes Creek Landscape Zone, including their Bioregional Conservation Status and their current extent
The Goulburn Broken Regional Catchment Strategy identifies goals and targets that have been set for
the vegetation communities within the catchment.
-Europea
(GBCMA 2003a). The majority of EVCs within the Hughes Creek Landscape Zone are below the 15%
Bioregional level (Ahern et al 2003).
2 For further information on each EVC, refer to the Department of Sustainability and Environment website at www.dse.vic.gov.au
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