Blue Gum High Forest

Scientific name: Blue Gum High Forest in the Sydney Basin Bioregion

Conservation status in NSW: Critically Endangered Ecological Community

Commonwealth status: Critically Endangered

More information on Blue Gum High Forest (BGHF)

View Blue Gum High Forest fact sheet(PDF, 369KB)

Local wildlife

BGHF is named for the Sydney Blue Gum, one of the most common trees found in the forest, reaching heights of up to 30 metres. The forest provides important habitat and shelter for native animals such as the Grey-headed Flying Fox and Glossy Black Cockatoo – both endangered species.

Visit the forest

Once covering large areas of the shale-capped ridge tops of northern Sydney, less than five per cent of BGHF now remains, restricted to the shale soils of Northern Sydney around Pennant Hills, Epping and parts of Ku-ring-gai. The largest surviving remnant of BGHF is in St Ives around Dalrymple-Hay Nature Reserve and Browns Forest.

You can walk among the majestic Sydney Blue Gums and Blackbutts of Dalrymple-Hay Reserve and Browns Forest, seeing the landscape as the Aboriginal and early European settlers would have seen it.

Entry is via Mona Vale Road or on the corner of Vista Street and Rosedale Road.

What can you do?

There’s lots you can do to help preserve BGHF:

  • Join the St Ives BGHF Bushcare Group. This group meets on the second and fourth Sundays of each month from 9am – 12pm. Email bushcare@krg.nsw.gov.au for more details.
  • Report any fox sightings to us.
  • Dogs and cats are banned from this area
  • Never dump rubbish in bushland - penalties apply.

If you live near the forest, there’s even more you can do to help preserve it:

  • Plant some of the forest’s native species, such as Casuarina, Muttonwood and Flax Lily, in your garden. This will help attract birds, mammals and butterflies.
  • Be careful when mowing your lawn. Mowing underneath BGHF trees prevents seedlings from establishing. Hand weed or poison weeds instead.
  • Remove weeds from your own garden to stop them spreading into BGHF.
  • If you’re using greywater in your garden, use low phosphorus detergents.

More information

Contact us on 9424 0866 or email naturalareas@krg.nsw.gov.au

 

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