SCIENTIFIC REPORT KFCP Vegetation Monitoring Rates of change for forest characteristics, and the influence of environmental conditions, in the KFCP study area Laura L. B. Graham, Tri Wahyu Susanto, Fransiscus Xaverius, Eben Eser, Didie, Andri Thomas Salahuddin, Abdi Mahyudi, and Grahame Applegate Kalimantan Forests and Climate Partnership SCIENTIFIC REPORT KFCP Vegetation Monitoring Rates of change for forest characteristics, and the influence of environmental conditions, in the KFCP study area Laura L. B. Graham, Tri Wahyu Susanto, Fransiscus Xaverius, Eben Eser, Didie, Andri Thomas Salahuddin, Abdi Mahyudi and Grahame Applegate Kalimantan Forests and Climate Partnership May 2014 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This report was prepared by Laura L. B. Graham, Tri Wahyu Susanto, Fransiscus Xaverius, Eben Eser, Didie, Andri Thomas Salahuddin, Abdi Mahyudi, and Grahame Applegate. We wish to thank all team members for their inputs into this paper, and particularly Laura Graham as lead writer. We also wish to thank Grahame Applegate for his technical guidance in the field, Fatkhurohman for his data support, Susan E. Page for her technical review, Rachael Diprose and Lis Nuhayati for their assistance in preparing this paper and other related papers, and the communications team (James Maiden and Nanda Aprilia) for their publishing assistance. Copy editor: Lisa Robins Reviewer: Susan E. Page Layout and publication: James Maiden and Nanda Aprilia This research was carried out in collaboration with the governments of Australia and Indonesia, but the analysis and findings presented in this paper represent the views of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views of those governments. Any errors are the authors’ own. The paper constitutes a technical scientific working paper and, as such, there is potential for future refinements to accommodate feedback and emerging evidence. KFCP Vegetation Monitoring Page i EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Tropical peatlands and tropical peat swamp forests are among the most challenging and relevant ecosystems to monitor, as required by Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation (REDD+). The logistical difficulties associated with implementing monitoring systems in tropical peatland means that few studies have considered the effect of different environmental conditions and disturbance regimes on peatlands’ forests. Unlike most other forest types, in peatlands the soil stores more carbon than the forest vegetation. Peat carbon stores are important, but are difficult to measure. The forest vegetation inputs carbon to the peat and is integral to the protection, maintenance and long-term stability of peatlands. Studies such as this are essential to: • Understand peatland forest dynamics including biomass accumulation, rate of regeneration, and species diversity under different environmental settings; • Determine the appropriate actions to protect and preserve peatlands and their forests; and, • Support emissions estimation, including for Indonesia’s National Carbon Accounting System. To address this need, the Kalimantan Forests and Climate Partnership started a Vegetation Monitoring Program. The program aimed to quantify the biomass, structure and species composition of tropical peat swamp forests under different environmental and disturbance conditions. To do this, 96 plots were established at eight locations covering different environmental conditions and disturbance histories. Five of these locations were situated adjacent to canals that formed part of the extensive Ex-Mega Rice Project canal system in Central Kalimantan, Indonesia. Trees within each plot were measured annually for the diameter at breast height, height and species of seedlings, saplings, poles and trees. The fire history, hydrology, peat depth and light intensity for each plot were also recorded. The program ran for four years to allow for analysis of change. The results of the study showed the range of forest conditions and dynamics across the KFCP site—an area which cover parts of the heavily degraded Block A and the relatively intact Block E forest areas of the Ex- Mega Rice Project—with forests ranging from relatively undegraded, to regenerating, to severly degraded. The results also show the influence that environmental conditions and disturbance history have on these forest states. For example, occurance of a single fire event dramatically affects forest structure, with subsequent fires having a less marked effect. Furthermore, the forest regeneration and composition is limited in Block A due to the altered hydrology, and also the newly open-canopy. The study identifies optimal water table depths for future canal blocking in Block A to promote forest regeneration. The study also indicated that, at least for vegetation, hydrology is less of a concern in Block E, which remains less impacted by drainage. The data show the importance of protecting deep peat areas, preventing fire in forested areas and the need for shade-cover for successful regeneration of most tree species. The Vegetation Monitoring Program represents a first step in the work necessary to estimate changes in forest biomass, regeneration rates, biodiversity and emissions, especially with regard to altered environmental conditions. Future studies should aim to develop and maintain this level of monitoring, allowing long-term analyses of the rates of change and responses to implementation activities that are aimed at protection of forest and peat carbon stocks, as well as of biodiversity. KFCP Vegetation Monitoring Page ii CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ............................................................................................................................. i EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ............................................................................................................................. ii CONTENTS .............................................................................................................................................. iii ABBREVIATIONS ....................................................................................................................................... v LIST OF TABLES ....................................................................................................................................... vi LIST OF FIGURES ..................................................................................................................................... vii 1 INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................................... 1 1.1 Project background ................................................................................................................... 1 1.2 Aims and principles of monitoring in REDD+............................................................................... 3 1.3 Tropical peat swamp forest vegetation ...................................................................................... 3 1.4 Objectives ................................................................................................................................. 5 2 METHODS ........................................................................................................................................ 6 2.1 Study site .................................................................................................................................. 6 2.2 Plot locations ............................................................................................................................ 6 2.3 Plot design and layout ............................................................................................................... 8 2.4 Methods for measuring environmental conditions ..................................................................... 9 2.5 Analysis .................................................................................................................................. 11 3 RESULTS ........................................................................................................................................ 12 3.1 Forest characteristics across the KFCP area .............................................................................. 12 3.1.1 Seedling, sapling, pole and tree densities .................................................................................. 13 3.1.2 Basal area .................................................................................................................................. 15 3.1.3 Species number .......................................................................................................................... 17 3.2 The influence of environmental conditions on forest characteristics ......................................... 19 3.2.1 Fire history ................................................................................................................................. 19 3.2.2 Hydrology—average annual water table .................................................................................. 21 3.2.3 Peat depth ................................................................................................................................. 25 3.2.4 Light intensity ............................................................................................................................ 28 3.3 Changes in the forest characteristics over time ........................................................................ 33 4 DISCUSSION ..................................................................................................................................