AusPlots Forests Survey Protocols Manual Version 1.6. Sam Wood, Helen Stephens, Jeff Foulkes, Elinor Ebsworth, David Bowman. AusPlots Forests Terrestrial Ecosystem Research Network School of Biological Sciences University of Adelaide University of Tasmania Level 12 Schulz Building Private Bag 55, North Terrace Campus Hobart, Tasmania 7001 Adelaide, South Australia 5005. www.tern.org.au/AusPlots www.tern.org.au Publication details This online edition of the TERN AusPlots Forests Survey Protocols Manual was produced and published by the University of Tasmania. It is provided as an online resource. Please do not republish material from this document or its attachments without written consent. AusPlots Forests Survey Protocols Manual 2 Table of Contents 1. INTRODUCTION ...................................................................................................................................................................... 5 1.1. BACKGROUND AND RATIONALE........................................................................................................................................................ 5 1.2. SCOPE OF SURVEY PROTOCOLS MANUAL .......................................................................................................................................... 6 1.3. LINKS TO OTHER SURVEY PROTOCOLS. .............................................................................................................................................. 7 1.4. OVERVIEW OF SURVEY PROTOCOLS MANUAL ..................................................................................................................................... 7 2. TRIP PLANNING .................................................................................................................................................................... 10 2.1. GUIDELINES ............................................................................................................................................................................... 10 2.2. PERMITS AND QUARANTINE. ......................................................................................................................................................... 10 2.3. FIELD EQUIPMENT, VEHICLES AND CHECKLISTS ................................................................................................................................. 10 2.4. VOUCHERS AND BARCODES ........................................................................................................................................................... 11 2.5. SURVEY PARTICIPANTS ................................................................................................................................................................. 11 2.6. PRE-SURVEY MEETING ................................................................................................................................................................. 11 2.7. SCHEDULED CALL-INS .................................................................................................................................................................. 12 2.8. DATA COLLECTION/RETURN .......................................................................................................................................................... 12 2.9. TIME REQUIREMENTS .................................................................................................................................................................. 12 2.10. EQUIPMENT LISTS ..................................................................................................................................................................... 13 3. PLOT LAYOUT AND POSITIONING ......................................................................................................................................... 16 3.1. GENERAL PLOT CONFIGURATION ................................................................................................................................................... 16 3.2. PLOT LOCATION AND CONFIGURATION IN THE FIELD .......................................................................................................................... 17 3.2.1. LOCATION AND ORIENTATION OF A NEW PLOT ............................................................................................................................... 17 3.2.2. LOCATION AND ORIENTATION WITH AN EXISTING PLOT .................................................................................................................... 19 3.3. PEGGING OUT THE PLOT. .............................................................................................................................................................. 21 4. SITE DESCRIPTION MODULE ................................................................................................................................................. 23 4.1. PLOT IDENTIFICATION .................................................................................................................................................................. 23 4.2. GPS COORDINATES OF CORNER POSTS AND COMPASS BEARINGS OF X AND Y AXES ................................................................................... 25 4.3. MUD MAP OF THE SITE AND PLOT ................................................................................................................................................. 26 4.4. LANDFORM OF PLOT .................................................................................................................................................................... 27 4.5. SPECIES LIST AND UNDERSTOREY DESCRIPTION................................................................................................................................. 31 5. LARGE TREE SURVEY MODULE .............................................................................................................................................. 32 5.1. PLOT INFORMATION .................................................................................................................................................................... 35 5.2. TREE ID, TREE STATUS (DEAD/ALIVE) AND SPECIES .......................................................................................................................... 35 5.3. TREE DIAMETER AND POINT OF MEASUREMENT ............................................................................................................................... 37 3 Terrestrial Ecosystem Research Network (TERN) 5.4. X AND Y COORDINATES ................................................................................................................................................................ 39 5.5. TREE GROWTH STAGE AND CROWN CLASS ...................................................................................................................................... 42 5.6. TREE CONDITION AND MODE OF DEATH. ........................................................................................................................................ 44 5.7. TAGGING TREES ......................................................................................................................................................................... 47 5.8. TREE AND BOLE HEIGHT............................................................................................................................................................... 49 6. VOUCHERING OF SPECIMENS AND GENETIC/ISOTOPE SAMPLES .......................................................................................... 51 6.1. VOUCHER SPECIMENS .................................................................................................................................................................. 51 6.2. GENETIC AND ISOTOPE SAMPLE VOUCHERING ................................................................................................................................... 54 7. SOIL METAGENOMICS .......................................................................................................................................................... 57 8. CANOPY PHOTOGRAPHY ...................................................................................................................................................... 59 9. FUEL LOAD SURVEY .............................................................................................................................................................. 61 9.1 FUEL TRANSECT ALLOCATION .......................................................................................................................................................... 61 9.2 FUEL SURVEY DATASHEETS ............................................................................................................................................................ 64 9.3 FUEL AND GRASS HEIGHT MEASUREMENTS ........................................................................................................................................ 65 9.4 WOODY FUEL COUNTS .................................................................................................................................................................. 67 9.5 SHRUB BIOMASS .......................................................................................................................................................................... 68 9.6 FINE LITTER, GRASS, HERBS AND VINES MEASUREMENT