Cooks River/Castlereagh Ironbark Forest
The Cooks River/Castlereagh Ironbark Forest (CRCIF) is a scattered, dry sclerophyll, open-forest to low woodland and scrubland which occurs predominantly in the Cumberland subregion of the Sydney basin bioregion, between Castlereagh and Holsworthy, as well as around the headwaters of the Cooks River. The Cooks River Clay Plain Scrub Forest is a component of this ecological community, though both belong to a larger occurring community called the Temperate Eucalyptus fibrosa/Melaleuca decora woodland.
| Castlereagh Ironbark Forest/ Cooks River Clay Plain Scrub Forest | |
|---|---|
Reserved remnant near a cemetery in Smithfield | |
| Ecology | |
| Realm | Australasia |
| Biome | Temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands |
| Borders |
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| Geography | |
| Area | 11.01 km2 (4.25 sq mi) |
| Country | Australia |
| Elevation | 60–100 metres (200–330 ft) |
| Geology | Sandstone, shale |
| Climate type | Humid subtropical climate (Cfa) |
| Soil types | Clay, sand |
On 10 May 2002 the NSW Government gazetted the forest as a critically Endangered Ecological Community under the Threatened Species Conservation Act 1995; and on 17 March 2015 the forest was listed as Critically Endangered by the Australian Government under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999. The community occurs in fragmented patches within the Cumberland Plain Woodland, where it generally grades into it.