Tasmanian Central Highland forests
The Tasmanian Central Highland forests is a temperate broadleaf and mixed forests ecoregion in Australia. It covers Tasmania's Central Highlands region.
Geography
The Tasmanian Central Highland forests covers the Central Highlands, also known as the Central Plateau, of Tasmania. It is bounded on the west, northwest, and southwest by the humid Tasmanian temperate rain forests ecoregion, and on the northeast, east, and southeast by the drier Tasmanian temperate forests.Portions of the plateau were glaciated during the ice ages. Glaciers carved many depressions in the landscape, including Lake St. Clair and many smaller lakes and tarns.
Climate
The ecoregion has a temperate climate. It is Tasmania's coldest region, and temperatures often fall to or below freezing during the three to four winter months, often overnight. Snowfall is most common in the spring. Average annual precipitation is highest in the west, averaging up to 2,000 mm, and is lowest in the east in the rain shadow of the Central Plateau.Flora
The main plant communities are wet and dry sclerophyll forests and woodlands at lower elevations, with alpine coniferous forest, montane grasslands, montane shrublands, and alpine plant communities at higher elevations. Rainforest species can extend up to the treeline, generally as understorey plants in sclerophyll or conifer forests.Dry sclerophyll forest, dominated by Eucalyptus coccifera and Eucalyptus vernicosa, is most common in the southeast. They grow five metres or more in height at lower elevations, and as low trees or shrubs up to 1,200 metres elevation. They can form open woodlands with a grassy understorey, or can be interspersed with areas of grassland.
Higher-elevation conifer forests include pencil pine, King Billy pine, and Athrotaxis laxifolia, with a shrub layer that includes the dwarf conifers Diselma archeri and Pherosphaera hookeriana.
Shrub communities are also found at high elevation, with species of Proteaceae, Epacridaceae, Myrtaceae, and some conifers.
Montane grasslands of Poa labillardierei and Poa gunnii occur above 600 metres elevation, frequently on dolerite substrates.
Alpine shrublands and heaths are found above 1,000 metres elevation, and occasionally at lower elevations where microclimates and soils permit. Typical alpine vegetation includes shrubs lower than 2 metres, along with grasses, cushion plants, mosses, and bog plants. Low dense thickets of Nothofagus cunninghamii and Nothofagus gunnii extend up to 1,400 metres elevation. Areas of bog, sedgeland, and bolster moor are found in poorly-drained areas, and where bolster plants impede drainage.
Fauna
Native mammals include the Tasmanian devil, eastern barred bandicoot, and eastern quoll.Native birds include the Tasmanian subspecies of wedge-tailed eagle, the Tasmanian native hen, Tasmanian thornbill, and yellow wattlebird. The swift parrot is a seasonal visitor, which migrates in autumn to breed in the coastal dry eucalyptus woodlands further east.
The ecoregion is home to several viviparous skinks, including the mountain skink, southern grass tussock skink, and glossy grass skink.