The NSW Nationals Parks and Wildlife Service has been working with contractors and 12 volunteers from the Orange Field Naturalist and Conservation Society and the Environmentally Concerned Citizens of Orange to track plant species recovery after last year's bushfire. 

Ranger Steve Woodhall said 23 of the 32 species of rare orchids previously spotted on the mountain had already been identified this year in nine clusters, along with three not previously logged. 

"There are orchid specialists in Canberra looking at the taxonomy to decide whether they're new species or another species," he said. 

Mr Woodhall said the orchids' root systems were underground and they only flowered at certain times of the year.

"We've actually got to keep going up because they only flower for a week or two," he said. 

"When you get a fire like this, it gives a chance for new things to pop up and because we're intensively looking, we're starting to find them."

The studies have been under way using 24 monitoring sites - marked with yellow stakes and GPS recorded, they will stay in place indefinitely to track changes in the environment over time. 

Mr Woodhall said shoots had sprouted from the mature gums, but it would take another year before the health of the younger specimens could be assessed.

"The one metre to 1.5 metre shrubs are only just coming back now, they were slow to respond," he said. 

The next step will be monitoring ground mammals through trapping and spotlighting.

"We have reasonable possum records and glider records, but we have very few ground mammal records so we're keen to confirm they survived the fire," he said. 

"We want to get that data in the first year to get a baseline and follow it over the next five years to see what changes."

He estimated there were about 800 plant, animal, and insect species in the conservation area. 

About 350 volunteer hours have been recorded so far, while contractors have been responsible for repairing walking trails and other damaged infrastructure.

More volunteers are welcome to help continue the monitoring efforts by contacting the NPWS's Bathurst office on 6332 7640.

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