public read uid=woodward,o=unaffiliated,dc=ecoinformatics,dc=org read uid=keith,o=unaffiliated,dc=ecoinformatics,dc=org read cn=submitters,o=unaffiliated,dc=ecoinformatics,dc=org all Professor David Keith University of New South Wales Professor of Botany

Centre for Ecosystem Science, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences University of New South Wales Sydney NSW 2052 Australia

02 9385 2111 david.keith@unsw.edu.au Renee Woodward Centre for Ecosystem Science Research Assistant

Centre for Ecosystem Science School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales Sydney NSW 2052

r.woodward@unsw.edu.au David Kirkland Department of Planning and Environment Western Sydney Parklands Trust

Department of Planning and Environment Level 7, 10 Valentine Avenue, P.O. Box 3064 Parramatta NSW 2124

david.kirkland@wspt.nsw.gov.au Manager This data package is a derivative product consisting of a summary of the published data package Woodland Restoration Plot Network: Vegetation Structure and Composition Data, Western Sydney Parklands (Western Sydney Regional Park), NSW, Australia, collected in 2001. (http://www.ltern.org.au/knb/metacat/ltern.120/html). These data are used to produce the graph and conclusions found in figure 8.30 on page 314 of Lindenmayer et. al 2014, Biodiversity and Environmental Change: Monitoring Challenges and Directions. These data show trends in compositional similarity of revegetated sites to remnant native vegetation in the first decade since planting (1992-2001) in a woodland restoration project. The lack of convergence between revegetated areas and native woodlands in species composition suggests that there has been little colonisation of native species in the revegetated sites. These data were collected from twenty-five 0.1 hectare sites which were established in a 10-year chronosequence of plantings that was sampled in 2001. The sites were located on retired farmland that includes a mosaic of restored vegetation (native plantings) of varying ages juxtaposed with patches of remnant vegetation and untreated, abandoned pasture. All sites were originally woodland prior to agricultural development about 200 years ago. The plantings monitored by the Woodland Restoration Plot Network research plots commenced in 1992 and have been revisited every 3-4 years since 2001. A synopsis of related data packages which have been collected as part of the Woodland Restoration Plot Network’s full program is provided at http://www.ltern.org.au/index.php/ltern-plot-networks/woodland-restoration Vegetation structure Plant species composition Restoration LTERN Monitoring Themes 0501 0602 ANZSRC-FOR Earth Science > Biosphere > Vegetation GCMD Evaluation Restoration Revegetation Succession Keywords List TERN-BY-SA-NC Western Sydney Parklands (Western Sydney Regional Park) and Prospect Reservoir are situated approximately 30 km west of Sydney, and extend over an area of nearly 5,280 hectares. 150.810459 150.915226 -33.80273 -33.909898 2001 1432192941505 1432192957220 Katy Wilkins Centre for Ecosystem Science Research Assistant

Centre for Ecosystem Science School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales Sydney NSW 2052

02 9385 8296 k.wilkins@unsw.edu.au Chris Simpson Centre for Ecosystem Science Research Assistant

Centre for Ecosystem Science School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales Sydney NSW 2052

0409 159 334 christopher.simpson@unsw.edu.au Mark Tozer NSW Office of Environment and Heritage (OEH) Research Scientist

PO Box 1967 Hurstville Sydney NSW 2220

02 9585 6496 mark.tozer@environment.nsw.gov.au

Twenty-five 0.1 hectare sites were established on retired farmland that includes a mosaic of restored vegetation (native plantings) of varying ages juxtaposed with patches of remnant vegetation and untreated, abandoned pasture. All sites were originally woodland prior to agricultural development about 200 years ago. This dataset was collected during an honours project by Sian Wilkins with sampling in 2001.

3x50m measuring tapes, clinometer, camera

Plant species composition is recorded using the frequency score method (Wilkins et al. 2003), in which complete species lists are compiled in each of six nested square subquadrats. Subquadrat dimensions are successively doubled from 1 m to 2 m, 4 m, 8 m, 16 m, and 32 m. All six subplots have a common corner marked with a star picket. Only species rooted in the additional area of each subplot are recorded (i.e. excluding records from smaller nested subplots). A frequency score is computed for each species by counting the number of sub-quadrats in which it occurred. Planted and wild occurrences of the same species are recorded separately. A species list with Braun-Blanquet cover-abundance estimates (8-point scale) was recorded in an additional 20 x 20 m plot inserted within the nested sequence of subplots (see Tozer et al. (2010) for sampling methods). Percentage cover of bare ground and leaf litter, and environmental co-variables including aspect, slope, soil texture and grid location are also recorded in the 20 x 20 m plot. The Woodland Restoration Plot Network research plots commenced in 1992 and have been revisited every 3-4 years since 2001. See: Tozer MG, Turner K, Keith DA, Tindall D, Pennay C, Simpson C, MacKenzie P, Beukers P, Co S (2010) Native vegetation of southeast NSW: a revised classification and map for the coast and eastern tablelands. Cunninghamia 11(3), 359-406. Wilkins, S, Keith D.A, Adam P (2003). "Measuring Success: Evaluating the Restoration of a Grassy Eucalypt Woodland on the Cumberland Plain, Sydney, Australia." Restoration Ecology 11(4): 489-503.

The study site is located on retired farmland that includes a mosaic of restored vegetation (native plantings) of varying ages juxtaposed with patches of remnant vegetation and untreated, pasture (both grazed and abandoned). During their period of pastoral management (prior to 1990), the sites have been grazed by cattle, fertilised and planted with exotic pasture grasses, particularly Phalaris species. All sites were originally woodland prior to agricultural development about 200 years ago. Restoration projects commenced in the area in 1992 with a stated goal of ‘re-establishment of native vegetation’ (Perkins 1997). The restoration plantings were carried out in a pattern designed to connect remnant patches of woodland, which were also the primary sources of seed for tubestock. To evaluate success against the above goal, we therefore identified the remnants as suitable reference sites to which the restored sites were expected to increase their resemblance in composition and structure over time. Disturbance resulting from past agricultural practices in the area have impacted upon remnant patches to varying degrees, but these were the best available examples of native woodland in the region. Untreated pasture is defined as a control, from which restored sites are expected to become increasingly dissimilar in species composition and vegetation structure with time. See: Perkins I. 1997. Hoxton Park Corridor (North) Land and Vegetation Management Plan. Unpublished report. The NSW Department of Urban Affairs and Planning & Greening Australia (NSW), Sydney. N/A 1432192941505 Data Owner These data were curated and published with strategic funds from a TERN initiative to publish long term data packages from the book Lindenmayer et al. 2014 Biodiversity and Environmental Change: Monitoring, Challenges and Direction. Since 2012 the Woodland Restoration Plot Network has been part of the Long Term Ecological Research Network (LTERN). This work was supported by the Australian Government’s Terrestrial Ecosystems Research Network (www.tern.org.au) – an Australian research infrastructure project established under the National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy and Education Infrastructure Fund–Super Science Initiative through the (now) Department of Education and Training. kwrt_composition_of_revegetated_and_natural_vegetation_book_data_p368t631.csv kwrt_composition_of_revegetated_and_natural_vegetation_book_data_p368t631.csv 281 1 #x0A column , ecogrid://knb/ltern.149.2 cn=allusers,o=unaffiliated,dc=ecoinformatics,dc=org read cn=submitters,o=unaffiliated,dc=ecoinformatics,dc=org all age_of_planting_years_ Age of replated vegetation in years number whole mean_similarity_with_reference_sites_regrowth_woodland_ Means of pairwise Bray-Curtis similarity values (n=18) in revegetated sites for all ages except 6 years (n=24) number real x95_confidence_interval_for_similarity 95% confidence intervals for pairwise Bray-Curtis similarity values (n=18) in revegetated sites for all ages except 6 years (n=24) number real remnant_lower_bound Lower bound of the 95% confidence interval of the pairwise Bray-Curtis similarity values (n=36) between 6 native woodland sites number real remnant_upper_bound Upper bound of the 95% confidence interval of the pairwise Bray-Curtis similarity values (n=36) between 6 native woodland sites number real 6 http://www.ltern.org.au/ltern-plot-networks/woodland-restoration This data package is comprised of data from the book Lindenmayer et al. 2014 Biodiversity and Environmental Change: Monitoring Challenges and Direction