Introduction to the FIA Down Woody Materials Indicator1st of 3 Part Training Series

Christopher WoodallDWM National Indicator Advisor

Outline

• Indicator Updates• What are Down Woody Materials?• Why Collect DWM data?• Sampling Design Theory

Indicator Updates

• No sample protocol changes• Field manual updated in 2004• Web-site updated• DWM sample design and analysis in press –

NC-GTR-256• Web-based dissemination of data and wider use

of data

Definition of DWM

Dead material within forests in various stages of decay such as fallen trees,

branches, and leaf litter

The FIA program places numerous forest ecosystem components into the

DWM Indicator

DWM ComponentsCoarse Woody Debris

Duff

Slash

Shrubs/Herbs

FineWoodyDebris

Litter

Coarse and Fine Woody Debris

Transect Diameter Class Name

0.00-0.24 inches Small FWD

0.25-0.99 inches Medium FWD

1.00-2.99 inches Large FWD

3.00+ inches CWD

Fuel-Hour Classes

Transect Diameter Class Name Hour-Class

0.00-0.24 inches Small FWD 1-hour

0.25-0.99 inches Medium FWD 10-hour

1.00-2.99 inches Large FWD 100-hour

3.00+ inches CWD 1000+-hour

Duff and Litter

“unrecognizable plant parts”

“dead plant material on forest floor surface”

Slash/Residue Piles

Piles of CWD

Shrub and Herbs

“Live and dead shrubs/herbs including

grass, herbaceous woody plants, and

vines”

Fuelbed

“Depth of the fuel’s complex, from forest

floor to the tallest fuel component”

Why collect DWM data?

• Indicator of Forest Health• Wildlife Habitat• Fuels Estimation• Carbon Estimation• Completes Life Cycle of Trees

Indicator of Forest Health

SoilsCrown Condition

Down Woody Materials

Ozone Injury

LichensVegetation

Structure and DiversityTree Damage

Wildlife

The DWM Inventory describes the amount and condition of wildlife habitat through estimation of coarse woody debris attributes.

Wildlife

0

200

400

600

800

1000

1200

1400

1600

1800

2000

Il IN IA KS MI MN MO NE ND SD WI

State

ft3 /acr

e

Mean estimates of CWD volumes for forests of the North Central Region

Wildlife

68%

17%

14%

1%

3.0-7.9 8.0-12.9 13.0-17.9 18.0+

Transect Diameter (in)A40%

1%

20%6%

33%

1 2 3 4 5

Decay ClassB

Proportions of coarse woody debris pieces per acre by transect diameter (A) and decay class (B) (1=least decayed, 5=most decayed), Indiana, 2001-2003

Fuels1-hr

10-hr

100-hr

Total Fine Woody Debris

Fire Science

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

1-hr 10-hr 100-hr 1000-hr Duff Litter

Fuel Classes

Tons

/acr

e

NC StatesEco Prov 212PRNLBWCA Non-Blow DownBWCA Blow Down

Estimates for DWM in

Boundary Waters Canoe

Area Compared to rest of region

Carbon Estimation

Estimates of Regional Carbon Pools for

Coarse Woody Debris

Estimates for International Treaties

and Criterion Indicators

DWM and National Inventory

Completes inventory of trees from living, to dead, to decomposed

Microplot Sapling

Sub-plot Tree

Sub-plot Standing

Dead

DWM Down and Dead

Summary of DWM Components

DWM Sampling Theory

DWM diversity requires a diversity of sampling methods

DWM Component Sampling Design

CWD, FWD Transect

Duff, Litter, Fuelbed

Simple Random Sampling at Specified Points in Sub-plot

Shrubs and Herbs Micro-plot

Slash Piles Sub-plot

Sampling on the Sub-Plot

N

4 3

2

1

MicroplotSubplot

Slash Piles

Similar to sampling phase two trees, if a center of a slash pile

coincides with a subplot it is

considered an “in” slash pile

Sampling on the Sub-Plot

FIA Subplot

“out” slash pile“in” slash pile

Slash piles are sampled across all

four subplots

Sampling on the Microplot

6.8 ftRadius

In order to estimate shrub/herb heights and

coverage for forests (fuel ladders)

estimate shrub/herb heights and coverage

occurring on micro-plot

Depth Estimates on Subplot

Duff

Litter

Fuelbed

In order to estimate depth of duff, litter,

and the fuelbed on a subplot…

12 sample points located for measurement on

subplots

Depth Estimates on Subplots

4 3

2

1

Sample Locations

Transect Sampling

FWD and CWD pieces are not all counted within a given area

rather…

All FWD and CWD pieces that intersect a sampling plane are

tallied

Transect Sampling

Probability of match stick intersecting

randomly placed line related to number of sticks and length of

line

Transect Sampling Planes

Fuel Bed

IntersectingSampling

Plane

CWD Pieces

DWM Sample Protocol establishes 6 foot tall sampling transects that radiate from FIA subplot centers to intersect fine woody pieces

CWD and FWD Transects

Use 3 transects established on each subplot to sample CWD, one transect on each subplot to

sample FWD4

30°

150°

270°

30°

150°

270°

30°

150°

270°

30°

150°

270°

3

2

1

Bringing it all Together

Key

N

430°

150°

270°

30°

150°

270°

30°

150°

270°

30°

150°

270°

3

2

1

Transect Information

FWD < 0.25”& 0.26”-0.99”

FWD 1.00”-2.99”

CWD => 3.00”

6 ft. s.d.

10 ft. s.d.

24 ft. h.d.

s.d.= slope dist., h.d.=horizontal dist.

Sub-plot

Micro-plot

CWD Transect

FWD Transect

Distances between sub-plot points: 120 ft., Distance from sub-plot center and microplot center: 12 ft., Distance betweenSub-plot 1 and sub-plots 2, 3, and 4: 207.8 ft. at angles (degrees) 150, 210, and 270 respectively.

Conclusions

• The DWM indicator estimates numerous ecosystem components

• Data Crucial to Fire, Carbon, and Wildlife Sciences

• Integral Part of National FIA Program, Completes Tree Life Cycle

• Series of different sampling techniques for estimation of various DWM components applied to phase two plots