Distribution, host preference, and impact of parasitic mistletoes (Loranthaceae) in young eucalypt plantations in New South Wales, AustraliaThis article is one of a collection of papers based on a presentation from the Stem and Shoot Fungal Pathogens and Parasitic Plants: the Values of Biological Diversity session of the XXII International Union of Forestry Research Organization World Congress meeting held in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, in 2005.

Botany ◽  
2009 ◽  
Vol 87 (1) ◽  
pp. 49-63 ◽  
Author(s):  
Angus J. Carnegie ◽  
Huiquan Bi ◽  
Scott Arnold ◽  
Yun Li ◽  
Doug Binns

Mistletoe is a common sight in mature eucalypt trees in Australia, especially in remnant stands in agricultural and pastoral areas, where they have been associated with debility and death. We surveyed over 450 eucalypt plantations in New South Wales, Australia, for mistletoe, and report for the first time that mistletoe infestation is becoming a problem in young eucalypt plantations. Forty-three plantations were infected, but only 9 of these had levels of mistletoe of 20% or more trees infected; 4 had levels of 38%, 40%, 65%, and 68%. Mistletoe was observed in plantations ranging in age from 3–10 years old. Species of Corymbia ( Corymbia maculata  (Hook.) K.D. Hill & L.A.S. Johnson and Corymbia citriodora subsp. variegata (F. Muell.) K.D. Hill & L.A.S. Johnson) were the most susceptible to mistletoe. The mistletoe species Dendrophthoe vitellina (F. Muell.) Tiegh. was commonly observed in plantations in both lower and upper northeast New South Wales, while Amyema bifurcata (Benth.) Tiegh. was only observed in the upper northeast. We observed a significant impact on growth of mistletoe, affecting tree growth as young as four years old. Simulated analysis indicated that mistletoe infection can reduce stand basal area by 10% and stand volume by 13%. However, the impact of mistletoe on tree growth was variable across space and time.

1996 ◽  
Vol 36 (3) ◽  
pp. 299 ◽  
Author(s):  
TS Andrews ◽  
RDB Whalley ◽  
CE Jones

Inputs and losses from Giant Parramatta grass [GPG, Sporobolus indicus (L.) R. Br. var. major (Buse) Baaijens] soil seed banks were quantified on the North Coast of New South Wales. Monthly potential seed production and actual seed fall was estimated at Valla during 1991-92. Total potential production was >668 000 seeds/m2 for the season, while seed fall was >146000 seeds/m2. Seed fall >10000 seeds/m2.month was recorded from January until May, with further seed falls recorded in June and July. The impact of seed production on seed banks was assessed by estimating seed banks in the seed production quadrats before and after seed fall. Seed banks in 4 of the 6 sites decreased in year 2, although seed numbers at 1 damp site increased markedly. Defoliation from mid-December until February, April or June prevented seed production, reducing seed banks by 34% over 7 months. Seed banks in undefoliated plots increased by 3300 seeds/m2, although seed fall was estimated at >114 000 seeds/m2. Emergence of GPG seedlings from artificially established and naturally occurring, persistent seed banks was recorded for 3 years from bare and vegetated treatment plots. Sown seeds showed high levels of innate dormancy and only 4% of seeds emerged when sown immediately after collection. Longer storage of seeds after collection resulted in more seedlings emerging. Estimates of persistent seed banks ranged from 1650 to about 21260 seeds/m2. Most seedlings emerged in spring or autumn and this was correlated with rainfall but not with ambient temperatures. Rates of seed bank decline in both bare and vegetated treatment plots was estimated by fitting exponential decay curves to seed bank estimates. Assuming no further seed inputs, it was estimated that it would take about 3 and 5 years, respectively, for seed banks to decline to 150 seeds/m2 in bare and vegetated treatments.


1995 ◽  
Vol 37 (2) ◽  
pp. 203-217 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael O'Donnell

Decentralizing industrial relations within New South Wales is a central recom mendation of the Niland Green Paper (1989). Decentralism also represents the cornerstone of the New South Wales government's industrial relations reform agenda enshrined in the New South Wales Industrial Relations Act 1991. To date there has been little analysis of the impact o f this legislative change on industrial relations in the New South Wales public sector. This paper provides a case study that examines the degree to which responsibility for bargaining has been devolved within the Parks and Gardens of the New South Wales Ministry for the Environ ment. It argues that, in contrast to the rhetoric of the New South Wales Act, the central agency presiding over the introduction of enterprise bargaining in the public sector, the Public Employment and Industrial Relations Authority; has been reluctant to delegate responsibility to parties in the workplace.


2021 ◽  
Vol 55 (1) ◽  
pp. 84-94
Author(s):  
Andrea Wallace ◽  
Brian Dollery

Abstract In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the New South Wales (NSW) government ordered the closure of all municipal libraries in order to limit the impact of the contagion. As a result, 372 public libraries in NSW ceased operation on the 23rd March 2020. While the closure of public libraries will undoubtedly contribute to restricting the spread of the coronavirus, given the pivotal role played by municipal libraries in local communities, as well as the special characteristics of library patrons, it will have other negative consequences. In this paper we consider the impact of the closure of municipal libraries in NSW from two perspectives: (a) its effect on the fiscal circumstances of local authorities and (b) its impact on the spread of the corona contagion as well as its broader effects on local community wellbeing. We conclude that rather than complete closure, partial constraints on library use should have been considered.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Timothy Lahmers ◽  
Sujay Kumar ◽  
Aubrey Dugger ◽  
David Gochis ◽  
Joseph Santanello

<div> <p>In late 2019 widespread wildfires impacted much of the New South Wales province in south east Australia, and this loss of vegetation contributed to increased surface runoff and consequently major flooding caused by extreme rainfall by early 2020. The recently developed NASA LIS/WRF-Hydro system enables the data assimilation (DA) capabilities of the NASA Land Information System (LIS) and the surface hydrological modeling capabilities of the WRF-Hydro model to be combined in a single model architecture. Combining the DA capabilities of the LIS system with WRF-Hydro, which has been used for both research and operational hydrologic simulations, we investigate the impacts of vegetation DA on the simulated floods in several basins across New South Wales, with varying degrees of burn severity from the 2019 fires. We also consider the impacts of the wildfires, as realized through vegetation DA on water partitioning and the surface energy budget, which both have implications for L-A interactions. For DA, we utilize the leaf area index retrievals from MODIS and vegetation optical depth from SMAP. For the present study, we will quantify the impact of the changes to the landscape brought about by the wildfires on hydrologic response, including flood severity, which would not be possible without the DA capabilities of the LIS/WRF-Hydro system.</p> </div>


2000 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 18 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rodney P. Kavanagh ◽  
Rodney P. Kavanagh

Populations of arboreal marsupials were assessed in forests before and after logging at different levels of logging intensity to determine the sensitivity of these species to habitat disturbance. The logging treatments imposed were unlogged controls and two intensities of integrated logging for sawlogs and woodchips. The mean basal area of trees retained in logged blocks ranged from 83% to 35% of pre-logging levels. The objective of the study was to develop better methods for managing arboreal marsupials within the wood production forests of southeastern New South Wales. Seven species of arboreal marsupials were recorded during the study, but the Greater Glider Petauroides volans was the only species recorded in sufficient numbers for analysis (86% of all records). No significant differences were observed between the treatments in counts of the Greater Glider before and after logging. However, given the observed trend and an a priori expectation of a decline in numbers of this species following intensive logging, a one-tailed statistical test was applied which resulted in a significant difference at P = 0.08 for the contrast between the unlogged controls and the most intensively logged treatment. The existence of a threshold in logging intensity within the range of 21 % to 39% retention of tree basal area, below which numbers of the Greater Glider suffer a marked decline, was inferred on the basis of comparisons with the results of other studies. Factors other than logging were important in determining the distribution of the Greater Glider. Elevation, in particular, was a significant environmental variable, with Greater Gliders more likely to occur in forests above 845 m a.s.1. The presence and absence of particular tree species also influenced the distribution of the Greater Glider. Forests containing Manna Gum E. viminalis and Mountain Gum E. dalrympleana were highly preferred compared to forests with a high proportion of E. obliqua. The presence of E. cypellocarpa appeared to improve the quality of habitat for the Greater Glider in forests dominated by E. obliqua. This study has shown that Greater Glider populations can be maintained at or near pre-logging levels when at least 40% of the original tree basal area is retained thoughout logged areas and when the usual practice of retaining unlogged forest in riparian strips is applied.


2020 ◽  
pp. emermed-2019-208958 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicola Wing Young Man ◽  
Roberto Forero ◽  
Hanh Ngo ◽  
David Mountain ◽  
Gerard FitzGerald ◽  
...  

IntroductionDelayed handover of emergency medical services (EMS) patients to EDs is a major issue with hospital crowding considered a primary cause. We explore the impact of the 4-hour rule (the Policy) in Australia, focusing on ambulance and ED delays.MethodsEMS (ambulance), ED and hospital data of adult patients presenting to 14 EDs from 2002 to 2013 in three jurisdictions were linked. Interrupted time series ‘Before-and-After’ trend analysis was used for assessing the Policy’s impact. Random effects meta-regression analysis was examined for associations between ambulance delays and Policy-associated ED intake, throughput and output changes.ResultsBefore the Policy, the proportion of ED ambulances delayed increased between 1.1% and 1.7% per quarter across jurisdictions. After Policy introduction, Western Australia’s increasing trend continued but Queensland decreased by 5.1% per quarter. In New South Wales, ambulance delay decreased 7.1% in the first quarter after Policy introduction. ED intake (triage delay) improved only in New South Wales and Queensland. Each 1% ambulance delay reduction was significantly associated with a 0.91% reduction in triage delay (p=0.014) but not ED length of stay ≤4 hours (p=0.307) or access-block/boarding (p=0.605) suggesting only partial improvement in ambulance delay overall.ConclusionThe Policy was associated with reduced ambulance delays over time in Queensland and only the immediate period in New South Wales. Associations may be due to local jurisdictional initiatives to improve ambulance performance. Strategies to alleviate ambulance delay may need to focus on the ED intake component. These should be re-examined with longer periods of post-Policy data.


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