2nd of 3 Part Training Series

Christopher Woodall

FIA’S DOWN WOODY MATERIALS

FIELD SAMPLING PROTOCOLS

Plot-level Variables Transect SegmentingCoarse Woody DebrisFine Woody DebrisDuff and LitterSlash Piles

OUTLINE

Since we will have a mixture of P3 plots and various P2+ sample designs in the database…we need ways to distinguish

PLOT-LEVEL VARIABLES

Variable: Sampling Status

0 = Not sampling DWM1 = BASE DWM variables collected

If sampling DWM…then remainder of variables tell us which sample design you used ( we autopopulate?)

PLOT-LEVEL VARIABLES

Variable: Number of SubplotsValue = 4

Variable: Number of Transects per SubplotValue = 2Variable: Transect lengthValue = 24

N

445

225

90

270

135

360

180

3

2

1

315

All sampling occurs on transectsP2+ should save time by not wandering off transects

TRANSECTS

24 feet (h.d.)Three / subplot

CWD and Slash Piles

20 ft (h.d.)

FWD (small & medium)

14 ft (h.d.)

24ft(h.d.)

6 ft (h.d.)

10 ft (h.d.)FWD (large)

Duff and Litter depths 24 ft. (h.d.) location,

every transect

N

445

225

90

270

135

360

180

3

2

1

315

Even though each subplot transect looks like one 48 foot transect, it is still considered as two 24 foot transects originating at sub-plot center

TRANSECT SEGMENTING

1) Only sample DWM components on accessible forest land

2) Must map changes in forest condition classes along transects

TRANSECT SEGMENTING

Non-ForestCC #2

10 ft

Transect length must equal 24 ft, Horizontal Dist.

Subplot

T CC BEGIN H DIST

SLOPE%

END H DIST

Sample Status

2 360 1 0.0 10 10.0 1

2 180 2 10.0 50 24.0 1

ForestCC #1

Transect orientation changes by subplot…big change from P3

TRANSECT SEGMENTING

N

445

225

90

270

135

360

180

3

2

1

315

Subplot 1: 90 and 270Subplot 2: 180 and 360Subplot 3: 135 and 315Subplot 4: 45 and 225

Always recorded as 1 if coarse woody debris can be measured…even 1 for non-forest since we know no DWM is there

Recorded as 0 if coarse woody debris cannot be measured due to water or snow obstruction

TRANSECT SEGMENT SAMPLE STATUS

CWD DECAY CLASSES

Tally Rules Depend on Decay of Individual Pieces

Freshly Fallen

Moderate Decay Mostly Decayed

CWD DECAY CLASSES

Decay Class Structural Integrity Texture of Rotten Portions

1 Sound, intact, freshly fallen, bark on Intact, no rot

2 Sound Mostly intact, sapwood rotting and soft, can’t pull off easily

3 Heartwood sound, supports own weight

Heartwood hard, rot beginning, large cubical rot pieces, sapwood easily

pulled off or missing

4Heartwood rotten, does not

support its own weight, but holds shape

Heartwood soft, small cubical decay pieces, metal pin easily pushed into

heartwood

5 None! Spreads out on ground, losing shape of log

Wood is soft, crumbly, heavily decomposed, powdery when dry

COARSE WOODY DEBRIS DEFINITIONS

Point of IntersectionTransect

Transect DiameterCWD Piece Axis

Decay Classes 1 - 4 Piece >= 3” Transect

Diameter Piece >= 0.5’ Long

Decay Class 5 Piece >= 5” Transect

Diameter Piece >= 0.5’ Long Piece >= 5” Above ground-level

CWD TALLY RULES CONTINUED

Only tally portion of log above ground and or above

waterStanding dead trees are CWD if they lean >= 45 from vertical

Tally a piece each time it intersects any transect,

regardless of the number of times

If log split down center, treat as two separate pieces

Do not tally roots

CWD FORKS AND BRANCHES

Forked PiecesEach fork is tallied if it meets minimum specs

Large branchBranch must meet minimum specs

CWD MEASUREMENTS

Sub plot TRAN

COND CLASS

HOR DIST

DECAY CLASS SPP

TRAN DIA

DIA HOLLOW

LENGTH >= 3?

2 180 1 20.0 2 122 12 0 1

Transect Diameter

horizontal

distance

Decay ClassSpecies

Diameter at Hollow Length => 3ft?

SEPARATED CWD PIECES

CWD DiameterCWD Diameter

If CWD piece is fractured, either across diameter or length, and crew determines it would separate if pulled by either end… Then… Tally as two separate CWD pieces

Totally revised from old P3 methodsNow sampled along transects

SLASH/RESIDUE PILES

End of pile

Start of pile

Loose piles should be sampled with regular CWD transects

Only use pile protocol if safety issue or CWD protocols do not work

If pile straddles 2 conditions pick the condition closest to subplot center

Visually compact pile along transect then estimate compacted height

Just like CWD, estimate the species and decay class of the majority/plurality of pieces in pile

SLASH/RESIDUE PILES

Determine average height along transect

Move that average height down to account for density of CWD in pile

Record compacted height

COMPACTED HEIGHT ESTIMATION

Compacted height of DWM = 88% of pile height

Compacted height of DWM = 78% of pile height

Compacted height of DWM = 47% of pile height

Compacted height of DWM = 35% of pile height

Compacted height of DWM = 23% of pile height

Compacted height of DWM = 14% of pile height

PILE DENSITY ESTIMATION

vs

Be careful with your compacted height = amount of solid wood you are saying covers the ground within a condition = a lot of dead wood in a forest

SLASH/RESIDUE PILES

Subplot Transect CC HD Begin

HD End

Compacted Height

Decay Class Spp

1 270 1 10.4 20.1 1 3 545

Wood material less than 3 inches in diameter at point of intersection with transect up to 6 feet from the ground

FINE WOODY DEBRIS

FWD SIZE CLASSES

Medium FWD( 0.25 to 0.9 inches at transect)

Large FWD(1.0 to 2.9 inches at transect)

Coarse woody debris (>= 3 inches at transect)

Small FWD(<= 0.24 inches at transect)

FWD SAMPLE DESIGN

Tallied on end of one transect on each subplot

20 ft (h.d.)

14 ft (h.d.)

24ft (h.d.)

6 ft (h.d.)

10 ft (h.d.) Large FWD: Tally pieces 1” – 2.9”

Small FWD: Tally pieces < ¼ ”

Medium FWD: Tally pieces >= ¼ ” – .9”

Size-Class Tally Counts

Tally FWD at the end of these transects for specific subplots

FWD SAMPLE DESIGN

N

445

225

90

270

135

360

180

3

2

1

315

Subplot 1: 270Subplot 2: 360Subplot 3: 135Subplot 4: 225

FWD TALLY RULES

• Estimate FWD tally after count > 50 for diameter < 1 inch

• Estimate FWD tally after count > 20 for diameter >= 1 inch

• Make attempt to tally FWD first due to trampling

•Do not include litter material in counts

• If count exceeds 100 in any size class indicate reason why (i.e. rat’s nest, fallen tree, or residue pile)

•Not attached to standing tree, dead or alive

•Only tally FWD on top of litter layer…do not dig through litter

FWD SAMPLE STATUS

Always recorded as 1 if fine woody debris can be measured…even 1 for non-forest since we know no FWD is there

Recorded as 0 if fine woody debris cannot be measured due to water or snow obstruction

FINE WOODY DEBRIS

Sub plot Transect CC Sample

StatusNon-

sample Reason

Small FWD

Med. FWD

Large FWD

Reason High

1 270 1 1 003 002 007 0

Count FWD pieces, by size class, intersecting subplot transects

8 depth measurements on a fully forested plot with no water/snow obstructions

DUFF AND LITTER

Loose plant material (excluding woody material you already measured) on surface of forest floor that is either undecomposed or partially decomposed

LITTER DEFINITION

Layer just below litter above mineral A-horizon…dominated by dark and highly decomposed organic material where you cannot identify originally plant parts

If you are in a peat land area then duff=peat material

DUFF DEFINITION

DUFF AND LITTER

Mineral Soil

DuffLitter

CWD & FWDSubplot

Measure depths at 24 ft (horizontal distance) at end of every transect.

Obstructions:Rocks and logs are not considered obstructions…measure as zero.Non-sample:Water or snow cover are considered non-sampled

DUFF AND LITTER SAMPLE STATUS

0

1

Duff and litter depth not sampled

Duff and litter depth sampled

Only water and snow considered obstacles to sampling

DUFF AND LITTER METHOD

1

2

3

Duff and litter depth measured

Litter measured and duff estimated

Should allow more freedom in deep duff areas to explain what was done on the plot

Both litter and duff estimated

DUFF AND LITTER

Subplot Transect CC Sample Status

Non-Sample Reason

Duff Depth

Litter Depth Method

1 090 1 1 0.4 1.1 1

Depth of 2 organic layers above mineral soil

TOTAL DESIGN ONCE MORE

24 feet (h.d.)Three / subplot

CWD and Slash Piles

20 ft(h.d.)

FWD (small & medium)

14 ft(h.d.)

24ft(h.d.)

6 ft (h.d.)

10 ft (h.d.)FWD (large)

Duff and Litter depths 24 ft. location, every transect

N

445

225

90

270

135

360

180

3

2

1

315

QUESTIONS?

Blast from Past Part 22005 National P3 Pre-TrainingOcala, FL