Factors influencing the maintenance of an inverted Eucalyptus coccifera tree‐line on the Mt Wellington Plateau, Tasmania

The Tasmanian snow gum, Eucalyptus coccifera Hook.f., forms low‐open woodlands on the dolerite plateau of Mt Wellington, Tasmania. The species occurs at the inverted and upper slope tree‐lines, and its spatial distribution appears to be strongly influenced by soil drainage characteristics. Both experimental work and field observations indicate that water‐logging is the principal agent determining the inverted tree‐line limits of E. coccifera on Mt Wellington. However, deficiencies of moisture also play a role in limiting the distribution of snow gums. There was no evidence to indicate that frost influences the lower tree‐line limits of the species, despite the genetic variation shown in the frost resistance of trees from various provenances. Strong ice‐bearing winds influenced the morphology of E. coccifera individuals, but was not a factor in limiting the distribution of the species.