Nanangroe Plantation Plot Network: Vegetation Survey, Southwest Slopes, NSW, Australia, 2015

Plot set-up Initially all patches of remnant native vegetation on areas designated for pine plantation were characterised. Fifty remnants were randomly selected with stratification, such as vegetation type, patch size, and established year of surrounding pine trees. Fifty-six remnants on adjacent farmstopine plantations were selected to match those 50 remnants, to make sure that remnants from two groups were as similar as possible. Ten sites in cleared paddocks around the woodland remnants on the grazing properties and 10 sites in areas dominated by newly planted radiate pine trees were established as ‘‘landscape matrix’’ sites. Those sites were established in 1998, but a few sites were scrapped due to non-accessibility or vast invasion of weed. To make up for those abandoned sites, additional sites were established within a few years since the first establishment.

A tablet, measuring tape, range finder or clinometer, basal wedge and diameter tape.

Biometrics Biometrics is a new measurements for Nanangroe. This surveys determine ground cover throughout a site. There are 2 50 m transects, one from 0-50 m and another from 150-200 m in the centre of a site. Ground cover is observered at metre intervals (native perennial grass, native annual grass, native sub-shrub, exotic perennial grass, leaf litter, bare ground, etc). Similar surveys are done at 5 metre intervals to determine native overstorey / midstorey % coverage, exotic species % coverage and canopy spacing (meters to closest canopy from the observer). Tree and shrub regeneration are also measured within a plot of 20 m by 50 m (area in 10 m either side of a 50 m biometrics transect).

Biometrics - Native species richness Native species richness is measured within a 20 by 20 m square at the 100 m point of each transect.

Vegetation % Cover This measurement has been done at a site level, estimating % coverage of an overstorey species to a whole overstorey coverage within 2 ha. The same measurement is made for the midstorey and understorey but species identification is only determined to genus level.

Plot Structural Measurements Standardised vegetation condition measurements were made every five years in three vegetation structure plots (20 m × 20 m) nested within the 2-ha sites. The values estimated at each of the vegetation structure plots are: • Tree Height (m) - Height of the tallest tree within 20 by 20 plot (avg of three 20 by 20 m plots) • Foliage depth (m) - Length of canopy from top to bottom (avg of three 20 by 20 m plots) • No of trees (Dead/Live) - No of trees within 20 by 20 m plot (not stem counts), species determines if its tree or not, not by height (avg of three 20 by 20 m plots) • Basal Area Count - Using 1cm wedge (avg of three 20 by 20 m plots) • No of strata - Strata count for overstorey, midstorey, understorey and ground cover (avg of three 20 by 20 m plots) • Exposed Rock - % cover of exposed rocks (>5 cm in diameter) within 20 by 20 m plot (avg of three 20 by 20 m plots, to calculate average) • Blackberry - % cover of blackberry within 20 by 20 m plot (avg of three 20 by 20 m plots, to calculate average) • Logs-hardwood - No of logs which are longer than 1 m in length and greater than 10 cm in diameter within 20 by 20 m plot under (avg of three 20 by 20 m plots) • Disturbance history - Disturbance history observed within 20 by 20 m plot. Select one or more from “None”, “Logging”, “Fire”, “Grazing”, “Mining” and “Other” • No of Hollow - No of hollows within 20 by 20 m plot, this is not “No of hollow bearing trees” (avg of three 20 by 20 m plots) • No of Mistletoe - No of mistletoe clumps within 20 by 20 m plot (avg of three 20 by 20 m plots) • Die Back - % total crown affected within 20 by 20 m plot (avg of three 20 by 20 m plots) • Stem count - No of stems at roughly DBH. Diameter classes are: o 1-5 cm o 5-10 cm o 11-20 cm o 21-30 cm o >30 cm

Measurements within a 1 m by 1 m subplot There are 4 subplots within each 20 m by 20 m plot; one at each corner (12 in total within a site). Within these subplots % cover is measured of the following ten variables: • native grasses • forbs (native) • forbs (exotic) • exotic perrenial grass • exotic annual grass • broad leaf (exotic) • bare earth • leaf litter • moss/lichen • rocks (>5 cm in diameter) Fisses/spider holes are also counted

Vegetation surveys are performed every 5 years. 2015 is the first year biometrics measurements were recorded for Nanangroe. Vegetation sampling is performed in three vegetation structure plots (20 m × 20 m) nested within the 2-ha sites.