Most eucalypt ecosystems depend on frequent low intensity fire to maintain natural nutrient cycles and the balance between established trees and their competitors and arbivores. Absence of frequent fire alters these processes and sometimes allows mass establishment of fire sensitive seedlings. Mature trees can be affected directly by the soil changes and indirectly by enhanced competition and arbivory. This can result in chronic decline of eucalypts and gross changes in the structure and composition of ecosystems.
