Taroom Shire Wanaringa, QLD. VAST-2: Tracking the Transformation of Australia's Vegetated Landscapes

<br>The aim of this project is to compile land use and management practices and their observed and measured impacts and effects on vegetation condition. The results provide land managers and researchers with a tool for reporting and monitoring spatial and temporal transformations of Australia’s native vegetated landscapes due to changes in land use and management practices. Following are the details about the Taroom Shire site in Queensland, Australia. </br><br> Pre-European benchmark-analogue vegetation: the site was originally a brigalow, <em>Acacia harpophylla</em>, mixed community associated with several overstorey species, including <em>Eucalyptus coolabah</em>, <em>E. cambageana</em>, <em>Casuarina cristata</em>, a range of understorey species, grassy woodlands and open forests. </br><br> Brief chronology of changes in land use and management:<ul style="list-style-type: disc;"> <li>1860: Area used for sheep grazing by shepherds</li> <li>1870: Permanent fences established</li> <li>1875: Start of continuous or set stocking with sheep</li> <li>1880: Incursion of prickly pear started</li> <li>1935: Prickly pear had been destroyed</li> <li>1929-1932: Land clearance through ringbarking</li> <li>1929-1932: Gradual increase in cattle numbers decline in sheep</li> <li>1940-1955: Manual clearing of brigalow with axes issues with regrowth</li> <li>1960-62: Brigalow pulled mechanically and soil ploughed</li> <li>1962: Soil ploughed and sown to buffel grass pasture</li> <li>1962-65: Continuous grazing with cattle on buffel grass pasture</li> <li>1966-75: Soil ploughed and sown to wheat annually – cattle graze stubble</li> <li>1976: Soil ploughed and sown to buffel grass pasture</li> <li>1976-2000: Continuous grazing with cattle on buffel grass pasture</li> <li>2001-10: Soil ploughed and sown to wheat annually – cattle graze stubble.</li></ul></br>