Appendix D Point Blue Conservation Science Transition Zone Monitoring Protocol Breeding Season Vegetation Survey

Introduction The Breeding Season Vegetation protocol is one of four field data collection protocols provided in the Transition Zone Monitoring Framework (Appendices A-D). The monitoring framework provides additional background information and study design recommendations for implementing the protocols to address specific research or restoration assessment questions or to advance our understanding of how transition zone habitat supports wildlife. The four protocols were developed as part of a NFWF- funded project, titled “Ensuring a Resilient Tidal Marsh Ecosystem through Healthy Upland Transition Zones: Assessment and Recommendations” (www.pointblue.org/tbirds) whose goal was to make transition zone restoration recommendations that maximize benefits to tidal marsh bird populations. This protocol is intended to characterize the vegetation during the avian breeding season at roughly the peak of vegetation growth (typically May - June). These methods are designed to facilitate comparisons of site and vegetation characteristics important for bird habitat across sites and among restored and mature marshes and the associated transition zones.

Summary Vegetation characteristics estimated at the plot-level include the overall percent cover unvegetated (litter, wrack, bare ground, etc.), overall percent cover vegetated, and the percent cover of dense vegetation as defined below. Within each plot, up to seven 1x1 m quadrats are sampled for percent cover (±5%) by plant species for all species ≥5% cover. Plant names area standardized by using USDA codes including unidentified plants such as PLANT (plantago spp.) or JUNCU (juncus spp.). Four photo points per plot will be established and photos taken at each point. Site characteristics measured at the plot-level include the average slope of the levee or transition zone and any evidence of mowing or other management.

Methods Establishing plots Refer to the Transition Zone Monitoring Framework (www.pointblue.org/tbirds) for details on delineating plot boundaries within a site.

Scheduling surveys Spring vegetation surveys should be scheduled during May and June before the majority of plants senesce.

Equipment list Be sure you have the following equipment:

● 1 m x 1 m quadrat ● Graduated meter stick or stadia rod marked in 10 cm increments ● Sufficient blank data forms ● Plant ID guide with USDA plant codes ● Tape measure (25 or 50 m) ● Rangefinder (optional) ● Random number generator (e.g., phone app) ● Clinometer, compass with declination, or phone app ● Phone (with GPS turned on) or camera and GPS unit

Conducting the Survey Plot Characteristics The following information should be recorded after the observer has walked the entire length of the plot paying attention to the overall site conditions (refer to site map to confirm plot boundaries):

1. Take four photos of each plot, one from each end (EndA and EndB as indicated on the map) facing toward the center of the plot and two from the center (100 m from the end) looking toward each end of the plot. Record the camera on which the photos were taken, and the order in which they were taken (first through fourth). a. Turn on GPS location to allow geotagging if using a smartphone. b. Photo location is numbered on datasheet in the order taken for labeling and organizing. 2. Record overall percent cover non-vegetated: % litter/bare ground (e.g., gravel, dirt, mud, woody debris, mulch, trash), wrack, other (describe other). 3. Record two categories of vegetated cover: a. Percent cover vegetation. b. Percent cover of dense vegetation > 30 cm. Dense Vegetation: This is defined as vegetation dense enough that you cannot easily see below 30 cm to the ground. Vegetation is considered dense if a rail could sufficiently find cover, observed from above, at the 30 cm mark above ground. Make a bold mark on your meter stick at 30 cm and insert the stick through the vegetation to the ground. In 100% dense vegetation, the 30 cm mark cannot be seen from above. Place the meter stick in several places within the plot and then average numbers for the entire plot. It is important to calibrate this measurement among all observers in the field together. 4. Make note of any signs of mowing or other management that may have affected plant height or species composition (e.g., mowing, spraying, or non-native plant removal). Check box to indicate mowing/management and describe in the notes. 5. Use a clinometer, declination needle on a compass, or phone app to measure the slope. a. Measure the slope of the plot in an area that best represents the average slope of the plot, or measure the slope in multiple areas and take the average (e.g., if the slope measures 5 degrees over a 50 m length of the plot and 10 degrees over 150 m, the average plot slope is 9 degrees).

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b. Measure the levee slope or transition zone only. Do not include the flat portions of the levee top or marsh plain, and do not include the upland portions. 6. After sampling seven quadrats (see following instructions), review species and record any additional species that make up >1% of the total plot which were not captured in the quadrat sampling. Record species following USDA plant species codes (Table 1). Quadrat Placement In most 200 m long plots, 7 equally spaced quadrat locations will fit within the plot (Figure 1). Quadrats should fall at random elevation gradients along the slope of the plot to capture the full range of conditions. Methods for determining quadrat placement is dependent on whether the plot is naturally sloped or a levee plot. Both methods are described in separate sections below (see Figures 1 and 2). The data recorded in both types of plots is the same, following the instructions below for quadrat sampling.

Naturally Sloped Plots 1. Place quadrats approximately 25 m from the ends of the plot (this distance can be reduced if plots are slightly less than 200 m long) and 25 m apart. a. A rangefinder or tape measure can be used for measuring out 25 m spacing b. If plots are <150 m in length, keep the 25 m spacing and reduce the number quadrats. 2. Measure the distance from the upslope edge of plot to the lower edge (i.e., measure the distance from the top of the levee to 2 m into the marsh plain). Refer to the map to confirm plot boundaries. 3. For each quadrat, use a random number generator to get a number between 0 and the width of the plot minus 1 meter at that location. (Subtract 1 m from the width to ensure the randomly placed quadrat will not extend beyond the plot boundary.) 4. Starting from the upslope edge of the plot, travel the randomly selected number of meters toward the lower edge of the plot and mark the point with a rod. 5. Record the random number of meters traveled. 6. Place the corner of the quadrat at the point such that the frame extends downslope and towards the “B” end of the plot. (Each end of the plot is marked either A or B on the map.)

Figure 1. Diagram of quadrat placement within a plot for naturally sloped transition zones (not to scale).

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Levee Plots 1. Measure 25 m along the levee starting from the A end of the plot. 2. Select an edge of the plot (usually the more non-tidal side) that will be used as the starting point for measuring the perpendicular distance to each randomly placed quadrat (the “Edge Followed” on the data form). Record the starting edge of the plot as left or right (relative to standing at the A end and looking toward the B end). 3. Measure the width of the plot from edge to edge (perpendicular to the levee). 4. For each quadrat, use a random number generator to get a number between 0 and the width of the plot -1 at that location. (Subtract 1 from the width to ensure the randomly placed quadrat will not extend beyond the plot boundary.) 5. Establish the corner of the quadrat by measuring and walking the randomly assigned number of meters, perpendicular to the levee, from the selected edge of the plot (left or right) toward the other side. Include the slope of the terrain when measuring the distance (e.g., Lay the tape flat on the ground to measure the distance to the best of your ability, vegetation will get in the way). 6. Place a corner of the quadrat at the point such that the frame extends away from the observer towards the far edge of the plot (opposite the starting edge), and towards the “B” end of the plot. 7. Record the location of the quadrat as center (on the road or flat part of the levee), left, or right. The location is based on where the majority of the quadrat falls.

Figure 2. Diagram of quadrat placement within a plot for levee transition zones (not to scale). The “edge followed” in this figure is the right side (standing at A and looking toward B, the plot width measurements originate from the right side of the plot). Quadrat Sampling 1. Measure the max canopy height (cm). Plant Canopy refers to the tallest portion, 90th percentile, of the plant providing structure and not necessarily the single tallest branch or stem that protrudes above the canopy.

2. Record the max height plant species.

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3. Record percent bare ground/litter (e.g., gravel, dirt, mud, woody debris, mulch, trash). Recorded on the datasheet within the plant species cover table (labeled 2LTR). Can be less than 5%. 4. Record percent cover for each species with ≥5% cover in ±5% increments. a. Total percent vegetation within a quadrat can be ≥100% with sufficient overlap of canopy shrub layer with understory grasses and/or litter. 5. Record percent cover of dense vegetation >30 cm (dense vegetation defined in plot level characteristics).

Follow the QA/QC instructions found in the main framework document for data processing and photo storage.

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Table 1. List of commonly occurring plant species of the transition zone habitat of San Francisco Bay. Listed in alphabetical order by standardized acceptable alpha numeric USDA codes. For additional codes see: https://plants.sc.egov.usda.gov/ Common Native Species – USDA Species Codes Species Code Common Name Artemesia californica ARCA11 California sagebrush Artemesia douglasiana ARDO3 mugwort Baccharis douglasiil BADO saltmarsh baccharis Baccharis pilularis BAPI coyote brush Diplacus aurantiacus DIAU orange bush monkeyflower Distichlis spicata DISP saltgrass Eriogonum fasciculatum ERFA2 California buckwheat Eriogonum nudum ERNU3 naked buckwheat Eschscholzia californica ESCA2 CA poppy Euthamia occidentalis EUOC4 Western goldenrod Festuca rubra FERU2 Red fescue Frankenia salina FRSA Alkali heath Grindelia stricta GRST3 marsh gumplant/gumweed Jaumea carnosa JACA4 fleshy jaumea Leymus triticoides, (Elymus triticoides) LETR5 (ELTR3) beardless wild rye Limonium californicum LICA5 western marsh-rosemary Lythrum californicum LYCA4 California loosestrife Nassella pulchra; Stipa pulchra NAPU4 purple needle grass Scrophularia californica SCCA2 California figwort Common Non-Native Species Species Code Common Name Atriplex sp. ATRIP saltbush species Brassica nigra BRNI black mustard Carpobrotus edulis CAED3 iceplant Carduus pycnocephalus CAPY2 Italian thistle Cirsium vulgare CIVU bull thistle Conium maculatum COMA2 poison hemlock Cynodon dactylon CYDA Bermuda grass Cytisus scoparius CYSC4 Scotch broom Dittrichia graveolens DIGR3 stinkwort Erodium cicutarium ERCI6 redstem filaree Foeniculum vulgare FOVU fennel Geranium sp. GERAN geranium Lepidium latifolium LELA2 perennial pepperweed Limonium ramosissimum LIRA2 Algerian sea lavender Malva parviflora MAPA5 cheeseweed Marrubium vulgare MAVU horehound Mesembryanthemum crystallinum MECR3 crystalline iceplant Mesembryanthemum nodiflorum MENO2 slender-leaved iceplant Melilotus officinalis MEOF yellow sweetclover Phalaris aquatica PHAQ harding grass Phragmites australis PHAU7 common reed Picris echioides PIEC bristly ox-tongue Plantago sp. PLANT plaintain species Raphanus sativus RASA2 wild radish Rumex crispus RUCR curly dock Salsola soda SASO3 Russian thistle Silybum marianum SIMA3 milk thistle Vicia sp. VICIA vetch species Appendix D Point Blue Transition Zone Monitoring Protocol- Spring Vegetation Survey (Version 1.0) 6 | Page

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