Attachment 8 WMNF_VGS_DataCollection_Protocol.docx

WMNF Botany Data Collection Updated 2023

Field Preparation Required Gear

· Tablet or phone for navigating and collecting points

· External GPS (optional)

· Field notebook

· Field data sheets

· Printed resources

· DBH tape

· Hand lens

· Compass

· Clinometer

· Laser distance measure

· Plastic bags for plant collection

· First aid kit

· Radio

· Spot device

· Plant ID texts

· Files for tablet: Flora Novae-Angliae (searchable PDF), digital atlas of woody plants, digital atlas of sedges, and other relevant files.

· Batteries

· AA for Garmin

· AAA for SPOT

· External battery charger (and cords) for tablet and/or phone

· Field Press (optional)

Navigation Navigate with phone, iPad, or Samsung tablet. Battery life issues can be resolved by bringing external battery into the field.

· Avenza

· Garmin GPS (if you have and prefer to use)

Data Collection: Field Work

· Typical survey projects are several thousand acres in size and include multiple stands in different habitats.

· Our goal as the botany team is to conduct surveys within each stand to detect any NNIS (non-native invasive species), RFSS (Regional Forester’s Sensitive Species), and any rare or unique natural community types, which includes late successional and old growth forests. Pay attention to the natural community type of the stand and any changes that occur as you are walking through (taking points and making notes in your Avenza map as you do so). RFSS will typically occur in specific habitats, so even if you don’t find a RFSS itself, you may encounter its habitat such as a rich or semi-rich mesic forest—it is important to make a note of when there is good RFSS habitat.

· We keep a running list of all species encountered in the stand, which helps to give a better picture of that stand as a whole, aside from the VGS Rapid Assessment points. We also look out for wildlife or cultural items of interest including large snags, vernal pools, apple trees, bear clawed beech (wildlife) and artifacts, stone walls, cellar holes, etc. (cultural).

Avenza Survey Tracks Tracks help ensure good coverage while performing the survey. They also illustrate the survey extent better than a collection of survey points when re-examining the work months or years later and tracks can help identify interesting locations that may have been missed in the initial survey.

· Open navigation pane (bottom of map), on tracking tab click on “start tracking”. See: Record GPS Tracks Tool – Avenza Maps

· Rename the layer to something descriptive: Map Layers Edit. See: Viewing and Editing map features – Avenza Maps

· Export tracks as a shapefile and send via email or save to device Survey Points (Placemarks in Avenza)

· Rename the layers to something descriptive (i.e. “LostRiver Compartment 44”).

· Drop placemarks to describe basic forest types, when there are changes, anything interesting ( i.e. unique plants, NNIS, RFSS). See: Adding a placemark – Avenza Maps

· Write your notes in the placemark name or if you need more space, type it into the description

· Add photos to points if needed

· Export dropped pins and associated notes and pictures as a shapefile

· You can use the same layer for multiple stands before exporting the shapefile.

Species Lists

· Record species lists in field notebook for each stand (6 letter code works)

· Add to a species list excel spreadsheet for the project area

VGS Points There are assigned VGS survey points for each stand (usually 1 or 2). The goal with these Rapid Assessment points is to obtain a snapshot of the stand (or a particular area of the stand for large stands) with basic vegetation data—species richness, cover, age, etc. The assigned points are rough guidelines of where to conduct the survey. If the given point does not seem representative of the stand or portion of the stand, then find a more representative spot to conduct the Rapid Assessment Survey.

VGS Rapid Assessment Protocol For all VGS points, always start a new site and name with the following convention:

09-22-DD- PN-C##-NEPAS###_##

Ex. 09-22-04-LR-C49-NEPAS074_01

· 09 = region

· 22 = forest

· DD = district (02 for Andro, 03 for Saco, 04 for Pemi)

· PN = project name (decide a 2 letter code, i.e. LR = Lost River)

· C## = compartment followed by the number (2 digits long)

· S### = stand followed by the number (NEPA stand # (type NEPAS##) )

· ## = numbers in consecutive order assigned when there are more than one VGS point in a stand (i.e. 01, 02, 03, etc.)

Drop a pin in Avenza whenever you take a VGS point as backup location data!

· Site = 60 ft radius for canopy and subcanopy, 30ft radius for herbaceous and shrub cover Site Details

· Date

· Aspect: in degrees

· Slope: in %

· Elevation: in feet

· Notes: make sure to write a fairly detailed description of the site; describe how this site relates to the rest of the stand that you’re surveying (if doing a meander survey)

· Lat, Long: in decimal degrees Physical Site Characteristics

· Slope Position

· Valley floor

· Toe slope

· Low slope

· Depression

· Mid slope

· Upper slope

· Crest/summit/ridge

· Landforms

· Alluvium – sorted, water-deposited soil material, indicated by flat slope in valley bottom position or along a stream, with few or no surface rocks, and sand or silty substrates (without variably sized stones or rocks mixed in expected in glacial till).

· Benched slope

· Flat

· Floodlain/bottom land

· Ravine/draw

· Ridge

· Saddle

· Swale

· Talus

· Wetland Features

· Emergent wetland

· Forested wetland

· Shrub wetland

· Seep

· Spring

· Vernal pool

· Intermittent stream

· Perennial stream

· Pit Mound Topography

· Absent, weak, moderate, strong

· This is a qualitative subjective observation

· Large Trees (>16in DBH)

· If a tree is forked below DBH, count both stems if they are large enough

· If tree is forked above DBH, count whatever is it at DBH

· Average DBH of T2 strata layer (inches)

· Min

· Max

· Average

· Maturity

· Early succession

· Immature

· Maturing

· Mature

· Late successional

· Old growth Species Lists

· Strata % Cover

· 60ft radius: 1% = 20 x 50 ft (113 ft2)

· 30ft radius: 1% = 7 x 4 ft (28 ft2)

· Canopy (60ft radius)

· Corresponds to T1& T2 layers: upper 2 strata of the canopy

· Dominant: Around >25% absolute cover or >35% relative cover

· Can be 0-3 dominant canopy species (if more than 4 “dominant” species = all “common”)

· Common: around 5-25% absolute—many stems/individuals

· Occasional: generally <5%—few stems/individuals

· Subcanopy (60ft radius)

· Corresponds to T3 layer: above 5m

· Abundance class definitions same as canopy

· Shrub (30ft radius)

· Woody species from 0.5 – 5m

· Dominant: >10% absolute cover, or >25% relative cover of herbaceous layer present

· Common: 2-10% absolute cover, or 5-25% relative cover – many individuals present

· Occasional: 1% or less absolute cover, or <5% relative cover – relatively few individuals present

· Herbaceous (30ft radius)

· This includes woody and herbaceous species that are in the herb layer = less than 1.5ft tall

· Abundance class definitions same as shrub layer Additional Information Tab

· Natural Community Type

· See list of common Natural Community types in the appendix

· Follow NCT key if there is any question

· TES/NNIS

· Habitat for TES or TES sp. observation---see RFSS list

· NNIS --- see NNIS list Additional Species in Stand Tab

· Outside Plot Species: anything of interest that is just outside of the 60ft radius plot (canopy/subcanopy) or 30 ft radius (for herbs and shrubs) Photos Avenza

· Photos can be associated with dropped pins.

Camera and coordinates from any source

· Can use if you have, record notes and coordinates that correspond with photo ID

· If using phone camera, turn on location so that is included in photo’s metadata

Appendix Avenza-Editing

Canopy strata (The overall goal in stratifying vegetation into height classes is not to record every visibly distinguishable layer in the stand but to provide a general impression of stand structure, with information that might be useful in interpreting regeneration and succession. -NatureServe)

Common Natural Community Types

· Beech forest

· Hemlock – white pine forest

· Hemlock forest

· Hemlock – beech – northern hardwood

· Hemlock – beech – oak – pine forest

· Hemlock – spruce – northern hardwood

· Lowland spruce – fir

· Northern hardwood – spruce – fir

· Red pine – white pine forest

· Semi – rich mesic forest

· Rich mesic forest

· Sugar maple – beech – yellow birch forest image1.png image2.png image3.jpeg