LTERN Data Portal

The 110 permanent sites in the study at Booderee National Park were first delineated in 2002 using two stratifying variables: (1) broad vegetation type (heathland, forest, woodland, etc.) and (2) past fire history – classified into four classes of time since the last fire (0-10 years, 11-20 years, 21-30 years and >30 years). The features of the experimental design comprise the following components:

- the use of stratified random site selection;

- the replication of classes;

- replication proportional to areal extent;

- sampling of the plots both before and after unplanned wildfire;

- the occurrence of unburned ‘control’ sites and treatment (burned) sites;

- continued surveys over time.

Commencing at the transect start point, steel posts were placed at 20 m intervals along a 100 m long transect.

Arboreal marsupials were counted using transect-based spotlighting surveys every 2 years. Each site was spot-lit for 20 minutes per 100 m transect (10 minutes up and 10 minutes back). Animals were only counted once per site, and counts were not undertaken in poor weather (rain, fog or high wind). The abundance of species observed or heard was recorded and the presence of frog species was also recorded. Spotlight surveys commenced in 2002 and were conducted annually until 2007 and biennially thereafter.

At each observation the following were recorded: site, species, abundance, time, distance along the transect; estimated distance from the transect and elevation of animal above the ground and tree species (if known).