Forest dieback research program

The NSW Environmental Trust engaged the Natural Resources Commission to oversee the delivery of a research program, focussed on the causes of mass eucalyptus tree mortality or dieback. This $1 million program supported research projects that inform the effective management of risks to the environment and economy posed by dieback.

The extent, frequency and intensity of tree dieback is increasing globally, across Australia and within NSW, from the Monaro plains, the Kosciusko Alps to the north coast of NSW. Such events pose a significant risk to ecosystem services that support community values such as:

biodiversity
water and timber resources
tourism
cultural and spiritual values.

Highlights of the forest dieback research program

$1 million research program funded by the NSW Environmental Trust to address large-scale eucalyptus dieback across NSW.

New practical guidance to help forest managers respond to climate-induced dieback and ecological change.

Collaborative research with leading universities and CSIRO to identify causes of forest dieback and inform practical land management.

Practical guidance for forest managers

Navigating forest dieback and climate succession

A new guidance document supports forest managers, planners and policy practitioners to respond to climate-induced dieback and ecological change.

Developed with support from the NSW Environmental Trust, the resource provides practical tools and frameworks for adaptive management in forested landscapes.

The guide includes:

risk assessment frameworks.
successional pathway planning tools.
species vulnerability indicators.
real-world case studies.

Read the guide

Three people in hard hats look at an ipad in a forest.

Research priorities and projects

In 2020, we provided advice to the Trust on research priorities for eucalyptus dieback. In 2021, the Trust awarded grants to leading research institutions.

Funded projects included:

Australian National University - climate and dieback resilience of tableland and mountain eucalypt species of southeast Australia and Environmental drivers, landscape determinants and control of snow gum dieback
CSIRO Land and Water - untangling the role of mycorrhizal mutualisms in eucalypt dieback to enhance revegetation outcomes
University of New England - causes projections and reversal of eucalypt decline and dieback on the New England Tablelands
Macquarie University - characterising the (a)biotic soil factors associated with bell miner associated dieback in eastern NSW
Western Sydney University - determining the physiological underpinnings of eucalypt dieback in New South Wales

An expert panel, chaired by Professor Hugh Durrant-Whyte, worked with researchers to:

encourage collaboration across disciplines
identify synergies between projects
translate findings into practical land management advice
support evidence-based policy and adaptive management.

Go to the forest dieback resource page to download documents and reports.

Program commencement

The program began with an online forum attended by representatives from:

Australian National University
CSIRO
Macquarie University
University of New England
Western Sydney University

The forum established a shared understanding of research objectives and encouraged cross-disciplinary collaboration. Ongoing engagement ensures findings can be translated into practical outcomes for land managers.

A small native tree sapling growing in a private forest. The sapling is backlit with leaf litter on the ground and trees in the background are out of focus.

Knowledge sharing and events

A key objective of the program was to share research findings with forest managers and stakeholders.

Knowledge sharing forums were used to establish a shared understanding of research objectives and to encourage cross-disciplinary collaboration. Findings from these forums then informed development of the guidance document.

Dieback Symposium 2024

Forests against the Machine: facilitating persistence and conservation in dieback-affected native forests and woodlands

A dedicated dieback symposium was sponsored at the Ecological Society of Australia Conference in Melbourne in December 2024.

The symposium shared national research on:

large-scale tree mortality events
snow gum dieback in subalpine woodlands
remote sensing and machine learning approaches
impacts on bird communities
strategies to manage and protect climate refugia.

Recordings of symposium sessions are available online.

The symposium agenda:

Introduction (0:00 – 01:36)
Katinka Ruthrof (on behalf of Dr Joseph Fontaine) – Murdoch University - The 2024 die-off, southwestern Australia (01:36 – 14:39)
Ruiling Lu – Hawksbury Institute for the Environment, Western Sydney University - Dynamics of tree mortality in Australian ecosystems (14:39 – 28:38)
Weerach Charerntantanakul – Australian National University - Analysing snow-gum dieback in Australian subalpine woodlands through satellite imagery and machine learning (28:38 – 43:58)
Donna Fitzgerald – University of South Australia - Monitoring dieback using remote sensing: a case study on the vulnerable population of Eucalyptus macrorhyncha (43:58 – 58:37)
Aranya Gayathri Sekaran – University of Western Sydney – Mass mortality in Mulga: Will the desert get deserted? (58:37 – 01:12:27)
Brendan Choat – Sudden canopy dieback in NSW coastal forests (01:12:27 – 01:24:36)
Chloé Bentze – University of South Australia – Investigating the impact of Stringybark Eucalypt dieback on bird communities (01:24:36 – 01:34:54)
Lucy Zarew – Australian National University – Assessing variation in seedling growth and freeze tolerance among snow gum provenances (01:34:54 – 01:44:15)
Gunnar Keppel – University of South Australia – Managing dieback: using refugia to facilitate persistence (01:44:15 – 01:55:30)
Acknowledgements and thank you (01:55:30 – 01:57:48)

Eucalyptus Dieback Research Forum 2023

A pre-symposium research forum was held on 3 September 2023 at Opal Cove, Coffs Harbour, as part of the 65th Annual Symposium of the International Association for Vegetation Science.

The forum supported collaboration across research institutions and provided opportunities for questions and discussion. Presenters included: