LTERN Data Portal

The CSIRO permanent plots are situated in Tropical Ironbark Woodlands, and extend across four leasehold cattle properties that lie within an area approximately 50km by 50km. The plots represent three vegetation management strategies, namely: 1) clearing (where all trees and shrubs are pulled); 2) thinning (where ground and midstorey vegetation is removed); and 3) unmodified native woodlands where significant thinning or clearing has not occurred.Vegetation composition and structure is recorded across each 1 ha in a series of nested quadrats and transects. Within five 1x1m quadrats located along a central 100 transect the following ground cover elements are visually estimated:

- native perennial grasses (increaser and decreaser species)

- native perennial hummock grasses

- native perennial herbs and forbs

- native shrubs

- exotic grasses, herbs and forbs

- litter, rock and bare ground

Number of fallen logs (minimum dimensions 50 cm x 10 cm) is recorded across the central 50 x 10 m belt transect. Along a central 100 x 10 m belt transect, tree and shrub species counts are made within the following DBH diameter classes: <10 cm, 10-20 cm, 21-30 cm, 31-40 cm, 41-50 cm and > 51 cm and, additionally, whether tree hollows are present in the individual. Species richness for shrubs and trees is calculated from data collected within the 100 x 10 m belt transect.

Tree and shrub canopy cover is estimated along the central 100 m transect using line intercepts and allowing no overlap between layers. For trees canopy cover is recorded for three canopy strata, T1,

T2 and T3 with T1 representing the top canopy level and associated cohorts, with T2 and T3 representing successively lower sub-canopy levels. Average canopy height for each of the four classes (Shrubs (S), T1, T2, T3) is recorded from the central 100 x 50 m sector of the 1 ha plot.

Other factors recorded at the sites include: basal area (at 50 m point), and ordinal scores for time since fire (0 =<1 year, 1=1-3 years, 2=3-10 years and 3=>10 years), and weeds, grazing impact and erosion (0=none to 3=severe for these three factors).