Cooks River/Castlereagh Ironbark ecological community facts for kids

The Cooks River/Castlereagh Ironbark Forest (CRCIF) is a special type of forest covering about 1,101 hectares (2,721 acres). It's found mostly in the Sydney Basin area of New South Wales, Australia. This forest stretches between places like Castlereagh, Holsworthy, and near the start of the Cooks River.

Most of this forest is in the Castlereagh area, between Penrith and Richmond. You can also find important parts of it in Kemps Creek and Holsworthy. Smaller sections are scattered in the eastern part of the Sydney region.

This forest is very important, but it's also in danger. The Government of New South Wales officially listed it as a Critically Endangered Ecological Community in 2002. This means it's a group of plants and animals that are at very high risk of disappearing. Later, in 2015, the Australian Government also listed it as Critically Endangered. This shows how serious the situation is for this unique forest.

What is the Cooks River/Castlereagh Ironbark Forest?

This forest is a type of "dry sclerophyll open-forest" or "low woodland." This means it has trees with hard, tough leaves that can handle dry conditions. The main trees you'll see here are the Broad-leaved Ironbark (Eucalyptus fibrosa) and Paperbark (Melaleuca decora).

What threatens this forest?

Sadly, many things threaten the Cooks River/Castlereagh Ironbark Forest. One of the biggest problems is that parts of it are being cleared for new buildings and developments. Other threats include:

• Weeds: Plants that don't belong there can take over and push out the native plants.
• Fire: The wrong types of fires, or fires happening too often, can harm the forest.
• Vehicles: Cars and other vehicles can damage the plants and soil.
• Fences: Fences can stop animals from moving freely, leading to injuries or deaths.
• Nearby development: Pollution and other impacts from surrounding areas can harm the forest.
• Mining: There's also a risk that parts of the forest could be dug up for clay or shale.

What plants live here?

Besides the main Ironbark and Paperbark trees, the forest canopy (the top layer of trees) includes:

• Eucalyptus resinifera
• Syncarpia glomulifera
• Eucalyptus eugenioides
• Acacia parramattensis
• Melaleuca nodosa
• Casuarina glauca

Smaller trees and shrubs you might find are:

• Acacia longifolia
• Bursaria spinosa
• Solanum aviculare
• Polyscias sambucifolia

On the ground, you can see plants like:

• Entolasia marginata
• Cymbopogon refractus
• Dichondra repens
• Commelina cyanea

And climbing vines include:

• Eustrephus latifolius
• Glycine tabacina
• Cayratia clematidea

Beverly Grove Bushland

Beverly Grove Bushland is a small but important part of the Cooks River/Castlereagh Ironbark Forest. It's about 1.87 hectares (4.6 acres) in size and is located near the Canterbury Golf Course and the M5 East Motorway.

This area was set aside to help make up for other bushland that was lost when the M5 East Motorway was built. However, even this protected area faced threats. About 1.4 hectares (3.5 acres) of Beverly Grove Bushland was planned to be used for building the WestConnex road project.

Despite efforts to protect it, some of this bushland was cleared in September 2016. This shows the ongoing challenges in protecting critically endangered forests like the CRCIF.

Western Sydney Airport

The development of the Western Sydney Airport has also affected parts of the Cooks River/Castlereagh Ironbark Forest. A report in 2014 showed that some areas of the forest would be impacted by the airport's construction. This highlights how large projects can affect important natural habitats.