DAWE - Second set of protocols detailing the changes

IN PROGRESS

Protocols surveillance team

Protocol

Module

Status (Protocols team)

Notes

Meeting Decision

2 Nov 2022

Basal area

Full DBH

Ready

All mentions of using ladders were removed from the protocol. For buttressed trees, allow 'Not collected' as an option for '50 cm above buttress' field.

Proceed, 

allow option for ‘Not collected’ as detailed in the notes column. 

Basal area

Lite DBH

Ready - design change from 2 belt transects, to 40 x 40 m subplot. 

No changes to the data collection fields, but change in survey design. 
Protocols team to provide tech team with the updated protocol. 

Change approved, proceed using the 40 x 40 m subplot rather than 2 belt transects. All data collection fields to stay the same. 

Protocols team to send through updated document, but can proceed without it. 

Basal area

Basal wedge

Ready

No change.

Proceed, no changes 

Camera traps

Camera traps

Pending – Ben to review

Reduced to a single protocol, with a data field at the beginning to record if the deployment is a single point, or part of an array or a fauna plot. Changes have been made, just awaiting review. 

Pending – Ben to review and approve changes.

Coarse woody debris

Transects

Remove 

Field testing with transects has highlighted this option doesn't result in many hits, and therefore, plot based approach better.

Remove,

Approved by Ben

Coarse woody debris

Plots

Ready – design change to 40 x 40 m 

Originally, included a 50 x 50 m and 100 x 100 option. This has been simplified to a 40 x 40 m option only. 
No changes made to data collection fields. 

Proceed, all data collection fields to remain the same, but only 40 x 40 m subplot needs to be developed into the app (originally drafted as 50 x 50 m subplot). Change approved by Ben. 

Kimberly to provide updated document, but can proceed without it.  

Condition

Condition point intercept (now condition sub-plot)

Ready – survey design changed from point intercept to sub-plot. Health and condition factors updated. 

Condition point intercept has been updated to a 40 x 40 m condition sub-plot. Within the sub-plot a tree/plant survey is undertaken, with plant size (DBH, height), health (% canopy, dieback metric, mistletoe number), life-stage, growth-stage and browsing damage recorded. 

Proceed, changes approved by Ben, Kimberly to provide updated document to the tech team this week. 

Condition

Vegetation age class

Remove

Methods streamline and this info is now collected as part of the condition plot survey.  

Remove, approved by Ben, this data is now collected as part of other protocols. 

Condition

Vertebrate pest presence

Remove

Will be developed as part of pest protocols instead. 

Remove, approved by Ben, this data will now be collected as part of the pest fauna sign survey module. 

Fire

Fire severity point-intercept

Ready

Add-on to standard cover point intercept. Need to determine what occurs if the lite cover protocol is undertaken. 

At this stage, to do condition assessment, full cover needs to be undertaken. 

Proceed, no changes. 

Fire

Trunk char height and soil char depth

Ready

Trunk char height measures to be collected, soil char depth to be removed. 

Proceed only with truck char height

Interventions

Interventions

Ready - but discuss LUTs with Kimberly

Not all Project Services listed in the appendix table will need to be included in the app. Talk to Kimberly to make sure that only actual interventions are added. 

A pest fauna addition to this module likely to be added as pest fauna modules are also developed. 

Proceed, no changes.

Potential future extension added as part of pest project. 

Invertebrate fauna

Wet pitfall trapping - full protocol

Pending – survey design changed. Julia making final updates.

Need approval from Ben and Sal before proceeding. Meeting with Alan Anderson required. 

Pending, Julia to send through updated document. 

Invertebrate fauna

Wet pitfall trapping - lite protocol 

Pending – survey design changed. Julia making final updates.

Meeting with Allan Andersen required to finalise. 

New protocol, has been drafted and currently being finalised.

Julia to provide updated document when ready. Meeting with Alan Anderson required. 

Pending, Ben to organise meeting with Allan Anderson to finalise methods.

Invertebrate fauna

Malaise trapping 

Ready

Proceed, Julia to send through updated document. 

Invertebrate fauna

Leaf-litter extraction

Remove

Remove

Invertebrate fauna

Light trapping

Remove 

Remove 

Invertebrate fauna

Pan trapping

Ready

Proceed, Julia to send through updated document. 

Invertebrate fauna

Active search

Ready

Proceed, Julia to send through updated document.  

Recruitment 

Age class – growth stage and life stage  

Ready 

Age class section had multiple protocols, no changes to the plot based growth and life stage assessment. 

Proceed, no changes to this sub-section. 

Recruitment

Age class – seedling, sapling and juvenile counts

Ready – change from belt transect to sub-plot, add in juvenile measure. 

Methods have been streamlined so they utilise the condition 40 x 40 m sub-plot and reduce redundancy with plant size measures in condition.

Survey area changed from belt transects to sub-plot and juvenile class added, but other methods (i.e. data collection fields) remain the same. 

Proceed, change from belt transect to sub-plot approved by Ben.

Kimberly to send through updated document this week. 

Recruitment 

Survivorship

Ready

Proceed, no changes 

Soils

Plot soil description

Ready

Proceed, no changes

Soils

Soil pit characterisation

Ready

Proceed, no changes

Soils

Soil sub-site samples

Ready

Proceed, no changes

Soils

Soil bulk density

Ready

Proceed, no changes

Soils

Soil condition samples 

Remove

Need to check with Ben if we want to go ahead with this option. He raised some concerns at Bon Bon. 

Not progressing to app at this stage

Soils

Soil metagenomics

Ready

Proceed, no changes

Soils

Soils lite - NEW

Pending / Mark to finalise on Monday

Can proceed when approval from Ben comes through. Is a reduced version of the soil sub-sites protocol. Mark to update manual and send to Ben for review.

Wait, Mark to send through changes on Monday next week and Ben to approve.

Targeted 

Fauna

Ready – minor changes 

Kimberly and Tok to go through methods - may need some minor tweaks to ensure everything can be collected in the app. May be some functionality that won't need to be built in for Nov 2022 deadline. 
Key is that track log is recorded and can record point and polygon observations. 

Proceed, some minor changes made to data collection fields and order, but survey methods remain the same.

Kimberly + Julia to send through updated document this week. 

Targeted 

Flora

Ready – minor changes

Kimberly and Tok to go through methods - may need some minor tweaks to ensure everything can be collected in the app. May be some functionality that won't need to be built in for Nov 2022 deadline. 
Key is that track log is recorded and can record point and polygon observations. 

Proceed, some minor changes made to data collection fields and order, but survey methods remain the same.

Kimberly + Julia to send through updated document this week.

Targeted 

Ecological communities

Ready – minor changes

Kimberly and Tok to go through methods - may need some minor tweaks to ensure everything can be collected in the app. May be some functionality that won't need to be built in for Nov 2022 deadline. 
Key is that track log is recorded and can record point and polygon observations. 

Proceed, some minor changes made to data collection fields and order, but survey methods remain the same.

Kimberly + Julia to send through updated document this week.

Vertebrate fauna

Fauna plot set-up

Ready

Complete, but get all clear from Sal before proceeding

Proceed

Vertebrate fauna

Trapping 

Ready

Complete, but get all clear from Sal before proceeding

Proceed

Vertebrate fauna

Identify, measure and release

Ready

Complete, but get all clear from Sal before proceeding

Proceed

Vertebrate fauna

Whole animal and tissue vouchering

Ready

Complete, but get all clear from Sal before proceeding

Proceed

Vertebrate fauna

Active diurnal and passive nocturnal observations

Ready

Complete, but get all clear from Sal before proceeding

Proceed

Vertebrate fauna

Bird survey 

Ready

Assume same or very similar to stand alone bird app

Proceed

Vertebrate fauna

Acoustic

Pending

Under development. Outside of current scope, to be delivered later. 

Pending, document will be sent through once finalised. Doesn’t need to be included as part of the November 2022 deadline.