Department of Environment and Conservation

Wandoo crown decline

Details

Published on Monday, 27 March 2006 08:00

What's happening?

Wandoo crown decline has been observed in the early 1980s in the Wheatbelt, in the late 1980s on the Darling Scarp and again in the late 1990s in the wheatbelt.  Many reports collectively suggest that wandoo has been in decline for perhaps 40 years, with reasons largely unknown.  Previous studies and observations of wandoo decline are discussed in the Wandoo Crown Decline Situation Statement, July 2006. 

Characteristics of wandoo crown decline

Wandoo 'flagging'	Epicormic shoots	Wandoo in decline

Crown decline is a syndrome affecting wandoo and occasionally some other eucalypt species.  Crown decline is characterised by an initial browning off and death of the upper and outer twigs, a process known as ‘flagging'. Epicormic shoots (new foliage) sprout along the trunk and lower limbs to replace the dead twigs. These epicormics may also die, resulting in progressive downward movement of the tree crown and redistribution of the canopy. Over several years there can be a noticeable decline in the tree canopy, sometimes resulting in death of the tree. The decline process however can eventually stabilise and the tree may recover as epicormic growth replaces the lost canopy.