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Phase 2 and Phase 3 Plot Design

Critical Loads (CL) and the USFS’s Forest Health Monitoring (FHM) and Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) Programs. Kenneth W. Stolte, Research Ecologist, SRS Station Paul Dunn, Assistant Director, PNW Station Borys Tkacz, National Manager FHM Program, WO. Phase 2 and Phase 3 Plot Design.

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Phase 2 and Phase 3 Plot Design

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  1. Critical Loads (CL) and the USFS’sForest Health Monitoring (FHM) and Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) Programs Kenneth W. Stolte, Research Ecologist, SRS Station Paul Dunn, Assistant Director, PNW Station Borys Tkacz, National Manager FHM Program, WO

  2. Phase 2 and Phase 3 Plot Design • Tree Data • Species & Abundance • Growth, Mortality • Crowns: structure, foliage • Damage: location, type, severity • Soil Sampling • C, N, cations, pH • Physical structure • Compaction • Erosion • Seedlings and Saplings • Species & Abundance • Vigor • Lichen Samples • Species • Abundance Down Woody Debris • Vegetation plot • Shrubs, herbs, vines, ferns, grasses, etc. • Vertical structure of vegetation • Species type and abundance Subplot 24.0 ft (7.32 m) radius Microplot 6.8 ft (2.07 m) radius Annular plot 58.9 ft (17.95 m) radius Lichens plot 120.0 ft (36.60 m) radius Vegetation plot 1.0 m 2 area Soil Sampling (point sample) Down Woody Debris 24 ft (7.32 m) transects

  3. Monitoring of Forest Ecosystem Processes and Components, e.g., FS Experimental Forests, LTERs, LTSP, etc.—aka, Research Sites Indicators of Key Ecosystem Processes for Detection or Evaluation Monitoring. Improves interpretation of Detection and Evaluation Monitoring data by identifying thresholds for changes. Annual, Nationally-Standardize, Unbiased Estimates of Forest Condition and Change in all Forest Ecosystems irrespective of Ownership. FIA=Fixed Area Ground Plots (P2 and P3) FHM=Aerial and Ground Surveys; Urban; Unique Studies (e.g., Appalachian Trail) Improves Efficiencyof Indicators and transformation of data into information. Data Quality. Identified Areas of Poor Forest Condition Intensified and/or New Methods to Interpret Cause of Negative Forest Conditions Methods, Instruments, etc. to Improve Data Collection or Analyses

  4. Figure 20. Percent of basal area (BA) on each plot associated with trees having unhealthy crowns. A crown was considered to be unhealthy if its adjusted ZB-index was 0.25 or greater or if the tree was a softwood and it had dieback of 10 percent or greater.

  5. Critical Loads FHM and FIA • Critical Loads programs can provide FHM and FIA with Analytical Thresholds “wall to wall” • Now based on a few papers • Based on a few gradient studies • Based on expert judgment

  6. Critical Loads FHM and FIA • Critical Loads programs could produce new or better indicators based on nature and magnitude of ecosystem responses to pollutant loading

  7. Critical Loads FHM and FIA • FHM and FIA can provide Critical Load programs with forest ecosystem response to pollutant loading at regional spatial scales –ground truth • Can help fill in the data gaps as seen on the “wall to wall” Critical Loads maps of eastern Canada

  8. Plot Locations are “Fuzzed” -----Not Exact Locations-----

  9. Phase 4 Plots Phase 5 Plots within Harvest Study area. Plot Locations are “Fuzzed” -----Not Exact Locations-----

  10. USGS Stream Survey Results N release typically happens with C/N ratio falls below 25– all of Neversink streamwater has low C/N ratios.

  11. Headwaters are very low in Ca. Analyses in progress to compare FHM Phase 4 and 5 data to streamwater data. For example, tree crown condition, tree damages, soil chemistry, lichen species, understory vegetation species, etc.

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