AUSTRALASIAN
Temperate Forest & Woodlands

These 'bush' habitats include the classic vegetation communities most Australians are more familiar with, as they surround (and hopefully still infiltrate) the sprawling urban areas of our biggest cities in south-eastern and south-western Australia. These ecosystems even have their own distinctive smell: due to the aromatic oil glands in the leaves of Eucalyptus trees, most Australian naturalists love the odour of the bush, even after a fire.  

This section on 'temperate forests and open woodlands of Australia' is very broad, and covers many different vegetation communities. The vegetation communities of Australia's southern woodlands are very diverse compared to many other temperate areas around the world. They are usually (but not always) dominated by species of Eucalyptus, and are often named for the main canopy species, including; Jarrah forest, Marri forest, Karri forest, Wandoo woodlands, Mountain Ash forest, Ironbark woodlands, Mallee woodlands and many others...

Fire can be a regular occurrence in the temperate Eucalytptus woodlands and open forests. The trees burn easily, as Eucalyptus have high amounts of flammable oil in their leaves. Human populations in Australia are concentrated in the south-east and south-west, often in or on the edge of these woodlands, thus there is a lot of effort and study put into managing fire regimes.

For the page on plants of Australian temperate forest and woodlands

For the page on
invertebrates, frogs & reptiles of Australian temperate forest & woodlands

For the page on birds of Australian temperate forest and woodlands

For the page on
mammals of Australian temperate forest & woodlands