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

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 Potters Flat.

Pre-European benchmark-analogue vegetation: The site was originally brigalow Acacia harpophylla, mixed community associated with overstorey several species, including Eucalyptus coolabah, E. cambageana, Casuarina cristata, and a range of understorey species, grassy woodlands and open forests.

Brief chronology of changes in land use and management:
1860: Area used for sheep grazing by shepherds
1870: Permanent fences established
1875: Start of continuous or set stocking with sheep
1880: Incursion of prickly pear started
1904-1929: Continuous grazing with sheep
1929-1932: Gradual increase in cattle numbers, decline in sheep
1930-1935: Land clearance via ringbarking
1932-1970: Almost continuous grazing with cattle - relatively low stock numbers
1935: Prickly pear had been destroyed
1940-1955: Re-clearing brigalow regrowth with axes and fallen timber burnt
1956-1960: Brigalow regrowth left unchecked
1960-1962: Brigalow regrowth pulled mechanically and burnt
1962-1970: Regrowth commenced restabilising without treatment or control
1970: Area/s designated as blocks to be left as shelter belts for cattle
1970: Commenced managing areas surrounding the site regrowth (i.e. shelter belt) mechanically
1971-2010: Areas surrounding the site regularly and intensively managed with ploughing, fertilising the pasture and cropping
1971-2010: Site almost continually used as shelter belt for cattle - high use.