Abstractit is hypothesized that herbivory plays an important role in limiting the distribution ofEucalyptus pauciflorain sub‐alpine forests. In the Brindabella Range, ACT, E. pauciflorais generally replaced downslope byE. divesand increased herbivory towards its lower distribution may be a factor in this replacement. Further, the co‐occurrence ofE. dalrympleanawithE. divesandE. paucifloramay be maintained by a density‐dependent stabilizing mechanism based on the impact of leaf parasites.Mean levels of leaf damage by insects on the lignotuberous seedlings of these three sub‐alpine eucalypts were not consistent with these hypotheses. Seedlings ofE. dalrympleanashowed significantly lower levels of damage (7.4–9.4%) compared with those ofE. pauciflora(13.9–20.2%) andE. dives(19.2–20.7%) but no significant intra‐specific differences in the mean levels of leaf damage with altitude occurred for any of these eucalypts. These results suggest that insect herbivory as a factor regulating the population dynamics of sub‐alpine eucalypts may have be