Lead Investigator: Dr Michael Franklin (WSU)

Co-Investigators: Professor Uffe Nielsen (WSU) and Professor Jeff Powell (WSU)

Project Summary: To better understand and monitor ecosystem function and biodiversity values of threatened Cumberland Plain Woodland (CPW), a network of 100 sites have been established across the Cumberland Plain, representing the geographic and climatic variation of CPW. A research and monitoring plot has been delineated at each site, and surveys to capture baseline data on vegetation composition and structure, and a range of ecosystem functions, were completed in 2024.

This project contributes to Objective III of the Cumberland Plain Conservation Plan: Enhancing the health and resilience of ecosystems. The plot network facilitates research that aims to identify factors that support healthy, self-sustaining remnant and restoration sites. Projects that investigate how site characteristics influence vegetation composition, structure and ecosystem function use the plot network. The network enables definition of the range of extant CPW ecosystem states, from heavily degraded to high-quality woodland, and acts as a network of sentinel sites for detecting threatening processes across the Cumberland Plain. Findings of associated research projects will guide evidence-based adaptive management.

Research Publication: Franklin, M.J.M., Ridgeway, P., Bristol, D., Bendall, J., Rymer, P.D. and Nielsen, U.N. (2026), Structurally diverse and species rich canopy tree assemblages support native herbs in grassy woodlands. Biol Conserv, 313: 111526. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2025.111526

Projects using the plot network:

The Cumberland Plain Woodland Plot Network serves as a shared research platform for a range of research projects that use the sites and data to investigate biodiversity, links between ecosystem structure and function, and restoration applications.

‍These include:

• ‍How does the structural diversity and species richness of tree assemblages influence native herbs in coastal grassy woodlands?

• Assessment of contemporary tree hollow resources for dependent arboreal vertebrates in remnant grassy woodlands

• Soil Biodiversity and Functions in the Cumberland Plain Woodland

• Evaluating Plant Stress in Response to Habitat Fragmentation, Altered Fire Regimes, and Climate Change in Cumberland Plain Grassy Woodland

• Evaluating Plant Stress in Response to Habitat Fragmentation, Altered Fire Regimes, Under Seasonal Shift in Cumberland Plain Grassy Woodland‍ ‍‍ ‍