ENVS1001 Environmental Science: Concepts and Methods Practical 9

ENVS1001 Environmental Science: Concepts and Methods

Semester 1, 2024
Practical 9 Report Sheets: Vegetation Monitoring

NAME: ………………………………………………………………………………………………………
STUDENT NO: ……………………………………………………………………………………………
PARTNER(S): ……………………………………………………………………………………………..

Introduction

Today you will identify vegetation types using structural classification (physiognomy), which is just one way
of describing vegetation patterns. Physiognomic classifications are often combined with floristic (botanical)
classifications to assist in conservation and land-use planning. You will visit a field site on campus and make
a number of observations and measurements about the site and the formation of the vegetation such as
height of vegetation and density of canopy cover. You will work in your laboratory groups.

Learning Outcomes
After this class you will be able to:
1. Perform rapid structural classification of vegetation formations in the field
2. Describe the elements of physiognomy used in vegetation classification
3. Use a clinometer and trigonometry to measure tree height

Risk Assessment

Risk Assessment

Students should be aware of the hazards associated with undertaking fieldwork.

Please ensure you refer to your induction risk assessment for GENERAL FIELDWORK
CONDITIONS before undertaking any fieldwork.

WRITE YOUR ANSWERS ON THESE ANSWER SHEETS.

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ENVS1001 Environmental Science: Concepts and Methods Practical 9

Overview

Physiognomy is the study of the overall appearance of something. In vegetation classification, physiognomy
describes the structural features of all the vegetation that occur together in one place (sometimes loosely
referred to as a vegetation community or association). Growth form (e.g. tree, shrub, groundcover) is one
feature of physiognomic classification; profile (vertical layers of vegetation), is another. In Australia, the
most commonly used physiognomic classification system was developed by Specht (1970). It characterises
the dominant form of vegetation in an area using growth form, height and spacing (percentage canopy
cover).

We can use physiognomic attributes of a vegetation formation to classify them as we know their
occurrence is tightly linked to the abiotic (environmental, non-living) variables at a site. Critical abiotic
elements that influence the type of structural vegetation found in a location usually include elevation,
aspect, slope, geology, soil, hydrology and climate.

In Australia, the NVIS (National Vegetation Information System) is the current system of vegetation
classification that combines structure (physiognomy) and floristic (botanical) data using standardised
survey methods (Specht, 1970 and Walker and Hopkins, 1990). It has six levels (Table 1) and in this practical
we will aim to describe the eucalyptus vegetation at our field site to the 2nd level, Structural Formation, as
we will not be undertaking floristics surveying.

Table 1. The NVIS (National Vegetation Information System) information hierarchy (from Sivertsen,
2009)

You will need to record the general physiognomy of your vegetation formation by identifying the growth
form of the tallest stratum (or vegetation layer) and determining its average height and percent canopy
cover.

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Method

1. Head to the field site for your campus

Figure 1: location of field site for vegetation monitoring at Callaghan

Field
site
Business
Incubator

SL2

SL1

Figure 2: location of field site for vegetation monitoring at Ourimbah

2. In your laboratory group, lay out the 50 m transect tape running parallel with the slope

3. Record the GPS position (decimal degrees) of the start and end of the transect and (if required, you
would often tie a piece of flagging tape around the nearest vegetation so you can see the start where
the transect starts and ends).

Transect start (GPS): (E) (S)

Transect finish (GPS): (E) (S)

4. If you were undertaking routine monitoring, you would take photos of the site generally and of your
transect from the start point (ground vegetation (groundcover), shrubs (midstorey – at eye level),

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trees (canopy cover – looking up). You could take a photo at the same point every time and use it as a
way of monitoring seasonal change or condition change (known as a photomonitoring point).

5. Follow the instructions for a) determining growth form, b) estimating average height and c)
estimating percent canopy cover below to classify the vegetation at your field site.

a) Determining growth form

Have a look around your transect. Use Table 2 to determine the growth form of the tallest stratum
(the tallest layer of vegetation in your transect – a distinct height class in the vegetation – see
image below). Growth form is a description of what a plant looks like.

Figure 2: Typical layers or strata of plants in a vegetation formation. The upper layer in this image is the
tallest consistent stratum and is the focus of your fieldwork.

Table 2: Growth forms (adapted from Tunstall, 2008 and Bayley and Brouwer, 2014)
Type Description Growth Form
A Upright perennial (lives more than 2 years) >2.5m high with a single woody Tree
stem (trunk)
B Eucalypt with multiple stems from a lignotuber (appears to have multiple Mallee
stems coming from a central point just under the ground)
C Multi-woody-stemmed perennial, non-succulent. Also includes single Shrub
woody stemmed perennials. <2.5m high
D All grasses (graminoids) Grass
E Rhizomateous non-woody perennial, erect foliage (includes Cyperaceae, Rush
Restionaceae, Typhaceae)
F Herb-like, or slightly woody plant that is not grass-like. Includes broad- Forb
leaved plants and many weeds.
G Plant with a non-woody stem Herb
H Large and unusually branched leaves (fronds); excludes tree ferns Fern
I Climbing, twining, winding or sprawling plant usually with a woody stem or Vine
rootstock

What is the growth form of the tallest stratum along your transect?

______________________________________________________________________________________

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b) Estimating the average height of the tallest stratum

Method 1
At each 5 m point along the 50 m transect identify a tree more than 10 m away. Hold the ruler at arm’s
length in front of you so it seems to be as high as the tree (if this doesn’t work then you need to pick a tree
further away). Ask two group members to walk to that tree. Watch the video on Blackboard for this
practical to see how this is done. Then pivot the stick so it lies horizontal to the ground. Get one group
member at the tree to walk out a transect tape until it lines up with your vision at the end of the stick. This
is the approximate height of the tree.

Transect 0m 5m 10 m 15 m 20 m 25 m 30 m 35 m 40 m 45 m 50 m
point
Estimated
height

What is the average height of the tallest stratum? _____________________________________________

What height class does the tallest stratum fit into? (For descriptions see Table 3)_____________________

Method 2
1. Sight a tree typical of the tallest stratum 20 or 30 m away. Measure out the sloped distance by laying
a tape on the ground to the base of the tree.
2. Get a group member of similar height to stand at the base of the selected tree and measure the
slope of the ground. To do this, match the hairline seen through the clinometer with their eyes.
Calculate the horizontal distance (d) to the tree using Fig. 3 below.
3. Match the hairline seen through the clinometer with the base of the tree trunk and read off the
angle (o). This is the base angle and will be A2 shown in Fig. 4 below.
4. Tilt the clinometer so that the hairline is seen against the tree top and read off the angle (o). This is
the top angle and will be A1 shown in Fig. 4 below.
5. Repeat steps 1-4 at the following points along your transect: 0, 10, 20, 30, 40 and 50m

Note: If the base of the tree is situated above eye level, then the base angle will be subtracted from the top
angle and multiplied by the horizontal distance to get total tree height.

Figure 3: Calculation of horizontal distance to tree

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Figure 4: Calculation of tree height

Transect 0m 10 m 20 m 30 m 40 m 50 m
point
Sloped
distance
Slope angle
Horizontal
distance (d)

Base angle
A2 (o)
Top angle
A1 (o)
Tree height
(h)

Table 3 Average height classes for different vegetation types (after Bayley and Brouwer, 2014)
Average Height Trees, vines, palms Shrubs, heath shrubs Grasses, forbs, rushes,
sedges and ferns
(including flowering
heads)
>30 m Tall
10-30 m Medium
2-10 m Low
2-4 m Tall
1-2 m Medium
0.5-1 m Low
<0.5 m Low

What is the average height of the tallest stratum using Method 2? ________________________________

What height class does the tallest stratum fit into? (For descriptions see Table 3) ____________________

Is the result the similar for each method? If not, what are some possible reasons?

_______________________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________________

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ENVS1001 Environmental Science: Concepts and Methods Practical 9

Optical Clinometer
An optical clinometer is used to measure slope between objects. (Fig. a) above) The scale floats in spirit
sealed within an aluminium body and rotates freely around its axis. Sighting and scale readings are done
simultaneously.

With both eyes open, then instrument is held up to the reading eye (left or right eye – it doesn’t matter;
Fig. b) above)). The instrument is raised or lowered until the scale of the cross hair, which is extended by
optical illusion, intersects the object (follow the sight line/line of sight; Fig. c) above)). Simultaneously the
scale is read. Optical clinometer scales show the grade percent (%) and angle of slope (degrees; Fig. d)
above).

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c) estimating percent canopy cover of the tallest stratum

You have now determined that the vegetation formation you are surveying has trees as the growth form in
the tallest stratum. In Australia, rainforests usually have the most dense canopy cover that may exceed
70%. Eucalyptus formations usually range between 40-70% canopy cover.

Method 1
Walk along the transect tape and record all distances along it where the tree canopy starts and ends
directly above the tape (fill in the Canopy cover – tallest stratum table). You should record the distance
from where the tree overlaps the transect to where it finishes overlapping, not necessarily the actual width
of the tree. The image below illustrates this process.

Figure 5: estimating canopy cover of the tallest stratum along a 50m transect (Dept. Environment, 2013)

Canopy cover – tallest stratum

Start (m) Finish (m) Width (m)
(formula is Finish-Start)
Example: 5.2m 10.5m 10.5 - 5.2 = 5.3m

What is the average percent canopy cover of the tallest stratum?

Add all the widths together from the table above, divide by 50 to provide a canopy cover per metre, then
multiply by 100 to convert to a %.

_______________________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________________

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Method 2
At each 5 m point along the 50 m transect, assess the projective foliage cover (PFC) of the tallest
substratum using Fig. 6 below. Calculate the average of your observations.

Transect 0m 5m 10 m 15 m 20 m 25 m 30 m 35 m 40 m 45 m 50 m
point
Estimated
PFC

What is the average percent canopy cover of the tallest stratum? _________________________________

Is the result the similar for each method? If not, what are some possible reasons?

_______________________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________________

Figure 6: crown types used to estimate the projective foliage cover

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ENVS1001 Environmental Science: Concepts and Methods Practical 9

Classify your vegetation community according to its structural formation using the height class, average
percent canopy cover and growth form information you have generated (Use Table 4 as a guide). Example
– Low Woodland or Tall Open Shrubland

_______________________________________________________________________________________

Table 4 Vegetation community according to structural formation (Bayley and Brouwer, 2014)

Average 70-100% 50-70% 30-50% 10-30% <10%

canopy cover
(%)
Trees >30 m Tall Closed Tall Forest Tall Open Tall Woodland NA
Forest Forest
Trees 10-30 m Closed Forest Forest Open Forest Woodland Open
Woodland
Trees <10 m Low Closed Low Forest Low Open Low Woodland Low Open
Forest Forest Woodland
Shrub Closed Shrubland Open Tall Shrubland Tall Open
Shrubland shrubland Shrubland
Heath shrub Closed Heathland Open Sparse Isolated heath
Heathland Heathland Heathland shrubs
Grass Closed Grassland Open grassland Sparse Isolated
Grassland grassland grasses
Sedge Closed Sedgeland Open Sparse Isolated sedges
Sedgeland sedgeland sedgeland
Rush Closed Rushland Open rushland Sparse Isolated rushes
Rushland rushland
Forb Closed Forbland Open forbland Sparse Isolated forbs
Forbland forbland
Fern Closed Fernland Open fernland Sparse Isolated ferns
Fernland fernland
Vine Closed Vineland Open vineland Sparse Isolated vines
Vineland vineland
In Australia, rainforests usually have the most dense canopy covers in excess of 70%. Other vegetation
formations usually range between 40-70% canopy cover.

References
This activity was based on methodology described from Bayley, D and Brouwer, D. (2014). Vegetation Survey and
Assessment, NSW Department of Primary Industries.

Department of Environment. (2013). Vegetation Assessment Guide, Commonwealth of Australia, Canberra.

McDonald, R. C., Isbell, R.F., Speight, J.G., Walker, J. and Hopkins, M.S. (1990). Australian soil and land survey
field handbook (2nd ed), CSIRO, Australia.

Sivertsen, D. (2009). Native Vegetation Interim Type Standard, Department of Environment, Climate Change and
Water NSW, Sydney.

Tunstall, B. (2008). Structural classification of vegetation.

http://www.eric.com.au/docs/research/vegetation/eric_global_classification.pdf. Accessed April 2020

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