Dryandra Woodland National Park

The Dryandra Woodland is found within the south-western province of the Yilgarn craton, "an ancient plateau composed mainly of granite, with intrusions of dolerite and capped with laterite. Past weathering of the plateau in the Dryandra area has produced a gently undulating countryside". It is situated on the western edge of the state's Wheatbelt region; the area is a rare remnant of the open eucalypt woodlands that covered much of the wheatbelt prior to the land clearing that started from the 1890s. Dryandra's flora is transitional between that of the moister jarrah forest (generally to the south) and the semi-arid wheatbelt (to the east). It is known particularly for its extensive stands of wandoo (Eucalyptus wandoo), powderbark wandoo (E. accedens) and salmon white gum (E. lane-poolei), and provides a haven for native flora and fauna while much of the surrounding country is badly affected by salinity. Stands of jarrah (E. marginata) and marri (Corymbia calophylla) provide additional top cover, and the understorey contains rock sheoak (Allocasuarina huegeliana) and extensive areas of Banksia ser. Dryandra. Until early 2007 this latter shrub was classified as a separate genus Dryandra, after which the woodland is named. Species include golden dryandra (Banksia nobilis) and prickly dryandra (B. armata). Native marsupial fauna include the woylie (Bettongia penicillata), bilby (Macrotis lagotis), mala (Lagorchestes hirsutus), boodie (Bettongia lesueur), and marl (western barred bandicoot: Perameles bougainville). The quenda (southern brown bandicoot: Isoodon obesulus) is locally extinct but may be reintroduced. ==Role in fauna and flora protection==

(Myrmecobius fasciatus) The following fauna are known to be living in the woodland and have a conservation status of "threatened" as recorded in the IUCN Red List: Major populations of three nationally endangered species exist in the woodlands: the woylie, the red tailed phascogale, and over 50 percent of the total known population of numbat. Over 800 native flora have been identified within the Dryandra Woodland, including 15 that have been declared priority species under the Department of Environment and Conservation's Declared Rare and Priority Flora List. The conservation codes of P2 thru P4 are for flora that are considered rare but have some populations in areas where they are thought not be under immediate threat; higher numbers denote a lower threat level. ==Mallet==

In the early 1900s a significant industry established within the forest and surrounding region harvesting bark from brown mallet trees (Eucalyptus astringens), a species of eucalypt which grows on and near laterite soils in parts of the southern wheatbelt. Bark sent to Germany for analysis was found to contain more than 40% of high quality, water-soluble tannins suitable for the production of quality leather by the process of tanning. Seven steam trains and a sawmill supported the industry within the woodland. Two dams, Lol Gray and the Old Mill Dam, provided good quality water to run the trains, as well as domestic water supplies that were carted by train to nearby towns including Narrogin. Production after 1959 declined rapidly, coinciding with a world glut, increased royalty and production costs, and increased competition from synthetic tannins. The industry had effectively collapsed by the early 1960s. Replanted forests now extend over approximately 30%, or , of Dryandra. Harvesting from plantation areas for timber production continues under the Department of Environment and Conservation's management plan, which includes a vision for the area over the next 100 years. Conservation studies have shown that the managed harvesting will have no detrimental impact on the fauna habitat. In 1960, Arthur Hunter, a local farmer, started manufacturing tool handles from naturally fallen and low-grade felled wandoo and mallet. This cottage industry has now expanded to produce over 100,000 tool handles each year. As well as tool handles, fencing materials and cutting of firewood for domestic use provide local employment. ==Noongar use==

The Dryandra area is the country of the Wiilman subgroup of the Aboriginal Noongar people. They have strong cultural links with Dryandra, Within the complex, five important archaeological sites have been identified, including an ochre pit used for body decoration and rock art. One Noongar man born in 1910 described the ochre pit as being "a very spirity place" and somewhere to be avoided at night. Other known sites include artefact scatters, stone arrangements and a scarred tree, however the woodland has not yet been fully surveyed for significant Aboriginal sites. In 1995, following requests from local Aboriginal people, the Department of Environment and Conservation was considering the feasibility of permitting some cultural activities including hunting and camping within the woodland, to pass on skills to younger members of that community. If permitted, such activities would need to be managed on a sustainable basis to ensure that the conservation goals of the woodland are not compromised. ==Recent history==

Almost all of the land within the complex today was classified as a state forest in 1903 as an area for the protection of water catchments and growing wandoo and mallet forests. In 1962, a sub-committee of the Western Australian branch of the Australian Academy of Science made recommendations which were reviewed in 1972 and 1974 by the Environmental Protection Authority of Western Australia. In summary, the recommendations were: The recommendations were endorsed by the state cabinet in 1976. Since that time, Dryandra has been managed principally as a nature reserve but also for limited commercial operations related to plantation timber. In 1995, a management plan was prepared by the Department of Conservation and Land Management for the Lands and Forest Commission who hold tenure over the state forests which form the woodland. The plan recommended (amongst other things) that the entire area be referred to officially as "Dryandra Woodland" rather than as various state forests in recognition of its structural difference with the taller and denser forests of the Darling Range. Previously, a smaller section had been referred to as "Dryandra", with other sections known by their various forestry names. The principal objectives of the plan were: • to achieve conservation, recreation and timber production goals, and in the next 70 to 100 years for the timber production role to be one of research and development; • to "maintain and restore the natural environment, and to protect, care for, and promote the appreciation and study of, indigenous flora and fauna, and to preserve any feature of archaeological, historic or scientific interest". ==Accommodation and tourism==

Dryandra Woodland attracts approximately 30,000 visitors per annum, including 5,000 overnight visits at the Dryandra campsite and settlement within the complex. Adjacent to the cottages is the Currawong Complex, which has several Nissen huts acquired from an Air Force base and now used to accommodate up to 60 people in groups. The Lions Village was established by several Perth based Lions service clubs in 1972 with the intention of providing a holiday camp for disadvantaged children. Two separate self-drive tours of and operate within Dryandra, where visitors can follow a marked trail in their own vehicles. On arrival at one of the five or six stop points, an approximate five-minute broadcast through the car's FM radio provides a narrative commentary explaining interesting aspects of the surrounding area. The commentaries are pre-recorded on microchips and broadcast using concealed low power transmitters charged by solar panels. Some of the broadcasts are staged conversations between characters describing day-to-day events in an early forestry worker's life in Dryandra. Others give a more technical explanation of a particular subject applicable to flora or fauna within a short distance of the car. For example, one stop discusses the naturally occurring poison pea plant (Gastrolobium spp) in the woodlands and the extraction and effect of the sodium fluoroacetate poison that occurs in the plant. Native mammalian herbivores have evolved with a high level of genetic tolerance to the toxin, which is deadly to introduced species including foxes. Baiting programs including the highly successful Western Shield project use sodium fluoroacetate to help control foxes without harming native fauna. ==References==