Investigating Tuart Woodlands Tuart Survey Training Friends of Trigg Bushland Inc www.triggbushland.org.au 13/11/2018

Introduction Survey to provide detailed record of Tuart status for baseline purposes Complement earlier work by Tuart Response Group and the Tuart Atlas Assistance from City of Stirling and DEC and THRG/Centre of Excellence for Forest Health 13/11/2018

What is Trigg Bushland? A Class Reserve Managed by the City of Stirling (Friends of Trigg Bushland act only as volunteers and can only make recommendations to the City of Stirling) 144 hectares Only urban bushland that reaches from the shoreline to forested dunes Contains rare flora and areas classed as ‘pristine’ 13/11/2018

Scope of the Survey (Trigg Bushland image courtesy of City of Stirling) 13/11/2018

Topics for Discussion Purpose and methodology overview Tools and measuring techniques Recording the data Ground rules Progress to date 13/11/2018

Purpose To provide ‘baseline’ data for forest decline and/or regeneration To ‘fill in the gaps’ of aerial surveys, eg, Tuart Atlas To provide data for future management plans, eg fire control and ‘dieback’ management 13/11/2018

Methodology Volunteers walk a grid through each section of bush. Each tuart is identified and photographed while a GPS is adjacent to the tree. Details of the tuart and understorey are recorded on the data collection sheet. The photographs and the GPS tracks are matched using OziExplorer and OziPhotoTool software. All the data are combined into Excel Spreadsheet. 13/11/2018

Topics for Discussion Purpose and methodology overview Tools and measuring techniques Recording the data Ground rules Progress to date 13/11/2018

Tools You Will Need Hand held GPS Digital Camera Clipboard Recording Sheets and pen/pencil Map with 10m grid marked Measuring tape or scale on clipboard Measuring stick for estimating tree height 13/11/2018

Data Collection Sheet 13/11/2018

Field map with 10m grid 13/11/2018

GPS Setup Ensure GPS is set to correct datum (WGS 84) and measurement is in metres Ensure satellite reception and check error – should be less than 5 metres. Take photograph of GPS showing current date and time before beginning 13/11/2018

Record photo of GPS showing date and time 13/11/2018

Some tips Ensure GPS has fresh batteries Turn on GPS at beginning of survey and leave it on, ensuring it is not obscured Make sure GPS is next to the tree being photographed, holding it flat so that the antenna has ‘free sky’ Photo and GPS point are linked by the time stamp so the quality and aesthetics of the photo are not important Plan your track so that extraneous points are minimized 13/11/2018

What is wrong? Hand is over the antenna zone GPS should be horizontal 13/11/2018

Measured Features Tree height Tree diameter Number of trunks Growth Stage Tree health Canopy density Understorey disturbance Weed invasion and major species 13/11/2018

Measuring techniques 13/11/2018

Tree height using stick method 13/11/2018

Measuring tree Height 13/11/2018

Tree Diameter Measure diameter of largest trunk directly or Use soft tape for circumference and divide by pi Take measurement 1.5m above ground level 13/11/2018

Number of trunks Measure largest trunk (dead or alive) at chest height, approx 1.5 metres from ground Record number of dead trunks in comments This is an example of a tuart with extensive fire damage, four trunks, one of which (far right) is dead, 13/11/2018

Single trunk, recovery from fire. 13/11/2018

Healthy growth from burnt stump, This is an example of a tuart with some fire damage, four trunks, two of which are dead. You can see mature healthy leaves. 13/11/2018

Twin trunk healthy Tuart 13/11/2018

Growth Stage Seedling – juvenile leaf, soft wood Juvenile - adult leaf, soft wood Mature – adult leaf, hard wood Regrowth – juvenile leaf, hard wood 13/11/2018

Juvenile leaf – heart shaped Mature leaf – sickle shaped 13/11/2018

Tree Health Healthy Stressed Dead 13/11/2018

Measuring Canopy Density Estimate in increments of 10% Provides indication of health status Affects plant and animal populations in understorey 13/11/2018

After Compton (1962) 13/11/2018

30% Canopy 13/11/2018

50% canopy 13/11/2018

90% Canopy 13/11/2018

Understorey Disturbance Estimate using scale of low, moderate or high Note extent of weed invasion Identify major weeds Note physical disturbance, eg, earthworks, pathways, rubbish 13/11/2018

Seedling with low disturbance of ground cover 13/11/2018

Mature Tuart with high disturbance 13/11/2018

Topics for Discussion Purpose and methodology overview Tools and measuring techniques Recording the data Ground rules Progress to date 13/11/2018

Recording Data Use actual measurement or scaled estimate wherever possible. Use metric measurements with unit of measurement as specified on data collection sheet (eg height in metres, diameter in centimetres) Estimates should be agreed between team members (or averaged where there is disagreement) 13/11/2018

GPS Tracks for 3 teams (10m grid) 13/11/2018

Tabular Data in Excel 13/11/2018

Summary of Measured Features Tree height Tree diameter Number of trunks Growth Stage Tree health Canopy density Understorey disturbance Weed invasion and major species 13/11/2018

Topics for Discussion Purpose and methodology overview Tools and measuring techniques Recording the data Ground rules Progress to date 13/11/2018

Safety Ground Rules Stay in teams. Know where you are. Have a mobile phone. Wear a hat and glasses or sunglasses. Do not try to go too fast. The bush can be dense and difficult to get through. Avoid hurting yourself by moving slowly. 13/11/2018

Key Points to take away Important to make clear records Use appropriate tools Record data with an eye for presentation Work together to ensure consistency 13/11/2018

Topics for Discussion Purpose and methodology overview Tools and measuring techniques Recording the data Ground rules Progress to date 13/11/2018

Duart Arnott Progress: Data collection complete Data entry and validation complete Data submitted to DEC and Tuart Health Research Group (Murdoch/DEC) Tuart recording sites in Duart-Arnott 13/11/2018

King Albert Progress: Data collection not yet complete Data entry and validation in progress King Albert Progress: 13/11/2018

Elliot Progress: Data collection commenced 13/11/2018

St Mary’s Progress: Data collection commenced 13/11/2018

The end – - thank you ! 13/11/2018