Open Access

John T. Hunter, Vanessa H. Hunter

• The vegetation of Ironbark Nature Reserve (1603 ha) and Bornhardtia Voluntary Conservation Agreement (704 ha), 75 km north west of Armidale, 30 km north east of Barraba (30°19’S, 150°53’E) in the Barraba Shire, in the Northern Tablelands Bioregion NSW, is described. Eleven communities are defined based on flexible UPGMA analysis of coverabundance scores of all vascular plant taxa. These communities are mapped based on ground truthing, air photo interpretation and substrate. All communities are simple in structure being primarily of woodlands or shrublands. Communities described are: (1) Eucalyptus macrorhyncha (Red Stringybark) – Eucalyptus blakelyi (Red Gum) Woodlands, (2) Eucalyptus caleyi (Caley’s Ironbark) – Eucalyptus andrewsii (Western New England Blackbutt) Woodlands, (3) Eucalyptus prava (Orange Gum) – Eucalyptus andrewsii (Western New England Blackbutt) Woodlands, (4) Eucalyptus dealbata (Tumbledown Gum) – Eucalyptus caleyi (Caley’s Ironbark) Woodlands, (5) Eucalyptus prava (Orange Gum) – Eucalyptus blakelyi (Red Gum) Woodlands, (6) Eucalyptus quinniorum (Quinn’s Gum) – Eucalyptus prava (Orange Gum) Forests, (7) Angophora floribunda (Rough-barked Apple) – Eucalyptus blakelyi (Red Gum) Woodlands, (8) Casuarina cunninghamiana (River Oak) – Eucalyptus blakelyi (Red Gum) – Angophora floribunda (Apple) Forests, (9) Calytrix tetragona (Fringe Myrtle) – Ozothamnus obcordatus (Daisy Bush) Open Shrublands, (10) Homoranthus bornhardtiensis Open Shrublands and (11) Leptospermum polygalifolium (Tea-tree) Wetland. All communities described here are inadequately represented in the conservation network with one (White-Box – Yellow-Box – Blakely's Red Gum Woodland) listed as endangered on the NSW TSC Act. Both conservation areas and neighbouring parcels of land contain extensive areas of little disturbed high quality "old growth". 38 species are of conservation significance of which one is listed as Vulnerable and one Endangered on the NSW TSC Act. The broader remnant is under increasing pressure for clearing for grazing production and the combined area of both reserves is considered to be inadequate to protect the significant features of the local region.