LTERN Data Portal

Vegetation survey data was collected on all 175 permanent 1ha sites in the Victorian Tall Eucalypt Forest study every 2nd or 3rd year. In the other years, all burned sites plus a sample of unburned sites were surveyed.

Each 1 ha site (100m x 100m) had a central transect bisecting the site from the middle of the front edge to the middle of the rear edge. Along the transect were three plots (10m x 10m), located between 10m-20m, 50m-60m and 90m-100m each plot bisected by the transect. In the centre of each plot was a 1m x 1m seedling subplot.

Species diversity:

A record is taken whenever a species is observed within 5m either side of the central transect (marked ‘T’) and additionally if the species is seen within any of the three 10x10 m plots a ‘1’, ‘2’ or ‘3’ are additionally listed in the box next to the species. (Example “T/1/3 Acacia dealbata” would mean A.dealbata. was seen in plot 1 and plot 3 and on the transect). If a species is seen only within a 10x10 m plot, it is still recorded on the transect as the transect includes the three plots. If a species is identifiable but dead, it is not recorded. Immediately post fire, species were recorded as live, dead, or burnt. If a species is associated only with the roadside vegetation, the species is marked ‘R’. If the species is only observed elsewhere on the site outside the 10 x 100 m transect, it is listed with a diagonal slash across the box or ‘S’ to indicate it is present elsewhere on the site.

Height v Diameter matrix:

The Height v Diameter matrix records all the woody plants and tree ferns (no grasses, bracken, sedges, climbers etc.) over 2 m within the three 10x10 m plots. Every stem has Diameter at Breast Height (DBH) and overall height measured and the species is entered in the matrix. Multiple stemmed plants generally have a count for each individual stem over 1.3m high (the height at which DBH is measured), so a single Correa or Olearia plant (for example) may be counted as multiple stems. Tree ferns with fronds that extend above 2 m are recorded in the diameter class of their trunk, even if this is below 1.3 m high. Tree ferns with trunks shorter than 1.3 m are still recorded as a single occurrence.

Stems are listed as either alive ‘L’, or dead ‘D’. For example “Adx3 (D)” denotes three dead Acacia dealbata.

The Height v Diameter matrix originally was a single table for each site, with all three plots entered into the one table. In 2012, this was split into three individual tables, one for each 10 x 10 m plot to help with identifying change over time.

Basal wedge of Acacia:

A basal sweep is done in the middle of each 10 x 10 m plot, using the “bottle opener” type basal wedge, using the ‘BAF 1’ slot. The number of each species of Acacia is recorded, as well as whether the tree is alive or dead. Trees shorter than 2 m are not counted. Trees on a lean greater than 45 degrees are not counted.

Seedling plots:

All species that are rooted within the 1m x 1m plots (usually located in the centre of the 10m x 10m plots), and are alive, are recorded by height increments in the table. Where the species is a sprawling ground cover (e.g. Stellaria, wire grass, geranium etc.), an estimate of rooting nodes is taken.