Sydney Turpentine – Ironbark Forest is our neighbour
Does it grow in my suburb or rural area?
Sydney Turpentine-Ironbark Forest grows in 23 suburbs and rural areas within Hornsby Shire, in and amongst the places where over 118,000 people live. If you live in or near these suburbs or rural areas, then Sydney Turpentine-Ironbark Forest is your neighbour: Arcadia, Asquith, Beecroft, Canoelands, Castle Hill, Cheltenham, Cherrybrook, Dural, Fiddletown, Forest Glen, Galston, Glenhaven, Glenorie, Hornsby, Maroota, Middle Dural, Normanhurst, North Epping, Pennant Hills, Thornleigh, Wahroonga, Waitara, Westleigh.
What does it look like?
Sydney Turpentine-Ironbark Forest is a type of bushland with tall, straight trees. It gets its name from the dominant Turpentine (Syncarpia glomulifera) and Grey Ironbark (Eucalyptus paniculata) trees. In a healthy Sydney Turpentine-Ironbark Forest, you will see other plants of various shapes and sizes, including trees such as the Grey Gum (Eucalyptus punctata).
Why does it only grow in the southern and western parts of Hornsby Shire?
Sydney Turpentine-Ironbark Forest has specific soil and rainfall requirements which, when added together, limit where it can grow. The trees and plants that make up Sydney Turpentine-Ironbark Forest need more fertile soils than the sandstone-derived soils found in Sydney’s large national parks. Fertile soils contain clay and hold moisture and nutrients, producing strong, tall trees. Such soils form from weathered shale rock and so Sydney Turpentine-Ironbark Forest is found growing on shale/sandstone boundaries where shale-influenced soils dominate, on the higher altitude edges of the Cumberland Plain1, and on the shale ridge caps of sandstone plateaus. It grows in areas with rainfall of 800 mm to 1,100 mm per annum. Where Hornsby Shire’s suburbs and rural areas have this soil and rainfall combination, and where it hasn’t been cleared, you will find Sydney Turpentine-Ironbark Forest.
1 The Cumberland Plain is the lower lying areas of the Sydney metropolitan area, between the Sydney Central Business District and the Blue Mountains