Forest Types
Rainforest
Australian rainforests are located from the far north of Queensland to the far south of Tasmania. As the name suggests, rainforests grow in areas characterised by high annual rainfall, which are usually well protected from bushfire. They generally have a closed canopy, with a crown cover of 80% or more. This lack of light makes them moist, shady places.
Rainforests are categorised as tropical, subtropical or temperate, depending on their location and the amount of rainfall they receive. Tropical and subtropical rainforests can be found in northern and eastern Australia in the wetter coastal areas as far south as New South Wales, while temperate rainforests occur in eastern and southeastern Australia.
Studies have shown that rainforests are remnants of some of the oldest types of vegetation in Australia, with the ancestors of some rainforest species dating back to 65 million years ago. Tropical and sub-tropical rainforests also support an incredible diversity of living things.
Although comprising of only a tiny fraction of the country’s land area, rainforests contain 62% of Australia’s butterfly species, 30% of marsupial and frog species, 17% of bird species and 60% of plant families. By contrast, Tasmania’s cool temperate rainforests do not have a single vertebrate species that is dependant on them.
Rainforest timbers are valued for their fine qualities and aesthetic values. Today, however, most rainforest areas are protected from timber harvesting.
For more information on Rainforests: Read the National Forestry Inventory’s Rainforests Profile.
Rainforest Forest
Photo: Timber Queensland Limited & Department of Primary Industries - Forestry QLD
