Criterion 7: Forests are Monitored & Records are Maintained
Monitoring of the forest is a necessary part of sustainable management. Over time, trends may be identified in plant and animal indicator species that reflect positive or adverse impacts of management systems. Trends in plant and animal frequency, plant composition and forest structure may be identified that indicate the success or otherwise of pest control or the maintenance of specific habitat requirements. Regeneration, growth and mortality rates of tree species will provide the basis for reviewing management systems and sustainable harvest levels. This is the basis for adaptive management - responding to identifiable changes and modifying management systems to maintain a healthy, functioning forest ecosystem. This requires an adequate information baseline, provided by initial forest description, inventory and establishment of permanent monitoring systems and record keeping which, when remeasured over time, will provide a basis for assessing the performance of forest management and maintenance of natural processes.
GOAL 7.1: NATURAL VALUES ARE MONITORED ON A REGULAR BASIS
Indicator 7.1.1
Indicator species measurement, flora and fauna description.
Benchmark 7.1.1.1
Forest descriptions, including fauna observations/ counts including those for any identified indicator species, shall be reviewed at no more than ten-year intervals. Regular inspections shall be carried out where specific values are identified (individual species or aggregates of species).
Handford (2000) provides a number of methods for undertaking fauna assessment. He describes the five-minute bird count, the most widely used method for assessing relative abundance of birds. Large differences in results are likely to occur if measurements are undertaken in different seasons. It is therefore advantageous for successive counts to be undertaken at the same time of year.
Verifier 7.1.1.1
Inspection of records, forest inspection.
Indicator 7.1.2
Forest composition and structure (including habitat trees)
Benchmark 7.1.2.1
Forest inspection and where necessary supplementary forest description and inventory shall be undertaken periodically to confirm that species composition and structure (including habitat trees) are being maintained.
Inventory and forest description methods have been described previously.
Verifier 7.1.2.1
Inspection of records, forest inspection
Indicator 7.1.3
Forest margins, wetlands and clearings.
Benchmark 7.1.3.1
Forest margins, wetlands and natural clearings shall be inspected and records updated regularly. Appropriate management responses are implemented to ensure natural values and forest stability are maintained.
Verifier 7.1.3.1
Inspection of records, forest inspection.
Probably the best means of drawing comparisons over time are by using fixed photo points and comparing photographs over a time period. Unless there is significant natural or induced disturbance to the forest, any background change is likely to be difficult to ascertain except where the forest is undergoing successional change.
GOAL 7.2: AMENITY VALUES ARE MONITORED ON A REGULAR BASIS
Indicator 7.2.1
Forest appearance at the landscape level, pleasantness, aesthetic coherence and cultural and recreational attributes
Benchmark 7.2.1.1
Forest inspection shall be undertaken and records updated regularly to determine any change in forest amenity values.
Verifier 7.2.1.1
Inspection of photographic records, forest inspection.
Fixed photo points will provide the best medium term measure of any management induced change to forest appearance at the landscape level.
GOAL 7.3: FOREST GROWTH, RECRUITMENT & MORTALITY IS MONITORED
Indicator 7.3.1
Results from Monitoring Harvest Sites and Permanent Sample
Plots Benchmark 7.3.1.1
Prescriptions shall be included in SFM Plans for the establishment, re-measurement and reporting of results from monitoring Permanent Sample Plots (PSPs).
Verifier 7.3.1.1
Inventory requirements and methodology prescribed in SFM Plans.
For most forests, rates of harvest and management prescriptions are approved on the basis of the best available information. This may include reasonably comprehensive data from nearby forests subject to scientific or management research, or may be data that has regional, rather than local significance. In any event the underlying assumptions about growth, recruitment and mortality upon which approved rates of harvest are based, need to be confirmed over time through periodic monitoring of sample plots established for the purpose. These provide the data, together with assessment of the results/ impacts of silvicultural management operations (including harvesting), to compare with original assumptions, for review of SFM Plans as necessary, and for amendment or endorsement of management prescriptions and approved rates of harvest. For larger forest areas one plot per 50 hectares is probably sufficient, with a minimum of 5 plots per forest type.
Benchmark 7.3.1.2
Sufficient PSPs shall be established within five years of registration of SFM Plans to cover the range of forest types and broad site types existing in the forest. These shall incorporate forest reconnaissance (description).
Verifier 7.3.1.2
Inspection of PSP records.
The number of PSPs to be established and their location shall be agreed between MAF and the owner and specified in the registered SFM Plan.
Ideally, PSPs should be established at the time forest inventory is undertaken. The type and size of PSPs vary. What suits one forest type may not suit another. As for initial inventory, infrequently occurring species may not be adequately sampled in a few sample plots and additional effort may be necessary to build up a useful long-term picture of trends in growth etc.
For beech forest, permanent plots of 0.04 ha are satisfactory and a methodology for their establishment is described by Allen (1993). This system was developed for ecological research, and with a few modifications can be successfully adapted to monitoring in a production forest environment. For example, individual stem height measurement is desirable, and possibly quality class assessment. This plot size may also be suited to broadleaved hardwood forest (e. g. tawa dominant forest) where stem densities are high.
For mixed forest (e. g. podocarp-broadleaved hardwood forest) with low stem densities, larger plots are desirable. Plots of 0.1ha and in some circumstances even larger, are more likely to incorporate sufficient stems to provide good long-term data. Even then some species may not be well represented in PSP's and may require other forms of monitoring to obtain information on replacement, growth and mortality.
A simple plot layout that suits the needs of long term monitoring is the circular plot layout.
This is most efficiently established by tagging and measuring trees over the entire plot, tagging and measuring poles over a smaller sub-plot, and counting seedlings and saplings on a smaller yet sub-plot or number of sub-plots within the larger plot.
The forest reconnaissance (Allen, 1992) is probably the most widespread method of recording forest composition and structure in NZ. It is recommended that this method is employed by landowners, both in conjunction with initial inventories and the re-measurement of permanent sample plots. Other temporary methods of recording forest attributes to monitor forest change are described in Handford (2000).
MAF will inspect records and locations of PSP's and over time compare the owner's records of recruitment, growth and mortality to the data used to establish approved harvest rates. These data will also be reviewed in relation to management performance, that is actual harvests, post harvest impacts, etc.
GOAL 7.4: FOREST REGENERATION IS MONITORED ON A REGULAR BASIS
Indicator 7.4.1
Records of Location and Status of Regeneration on Harvest Sites
(a) Kauri, Podocarps and Shade-Tolerant or Exposure-Sensitive Broadleaved Hardwoods
These species groups are required to be managed under single tree-small group selection systems. The trigger for supplementary planting is the presence or absence of sufficient advanced growth (refer Section 2.2). As such regeneration assessment assumes a different significance for these species groups than for beech and other light-demanding species and therefore no benchmark is included in this sub-section. Where it has been determined that no supplementary planting is required it is still advantageous to revisit harvest sites, record post harvest damage/ remedial action required and assess the status of natural regeneration.
In gaps created by the felling of single trees or small groups, a count of all seedlings present can often be undertaken in a short time. Where there is a failure of regeneration in harvest gaps consideration should be given to planting of replacement seedling stocks. Such decisions will be influenced by forest type and the species under consideration. There may be justification to review planting decisions on the basis of forest management performance, on an annual or periodic basis.
(b) Beech and Other Light-Demanding Hardwoods
Benchmark 7.4.1.1
Inspection of harvest sites shall be undertaken within five years of harvest. Records of site location, seedling density and height (both planted and natural) by species shall be maintained.
Verifier 7.4.1.1
Inspection of forest records and field inspection.
In beech forests, harvested coupes should be inspected and sample plots measured annually and thereafter on a five yearly basis, until it is clear that the regeneration attained on the site is sufficient to restock the coupe and has survived beyond the initial establishment stage. The assessment of the frequency of seedlings in a number of small, randomly located plots should be sufficient to indicate effective regeneration density. For example the presence of at least one seedling in 50 percent of say 50 x 1 m 2 plots systematically located in a 0.1 ha coupe indicates a relative stocking of about 5000 sph. An initial effective stocking of about 500 sph, well distributed across a coupe is about the minimum recommended to re-establish the forest structure. Typically, beech forests will exhibit up to about 30 000 seedlings per hectare following a mast year on a good site free from competing vegetation.
The Global Positioning System (GPS) is a useful tool for maintaining records of harvest sites and for relocating sites for follow-up inspection.
GOAL 7.5: SILVICULTURAL OPERATIONS ARE RECORDED
Indicator 7.5.1
Supplementary Planting
Benchmark 7.5.1.1 Records shall be kept of the location, species and numbers of seedlings planted. Planting sites will be indicated on maps maintained by the landowner.
Verifier 7.5.1.1
Inspection of forest records and field inspection of location and planting rate.
Benchmark 7.5.1.2
Inspection of planting sites one year and five years after planting shall be undertaken and survival of seedlings recorded. Thereafter, planting sites need to be inspected periodically (at least 5-yearly) to monitor survival.
Verifier 7.5.1.2
Inspection of forest records and field inspection.
Assessment at five yearly intervals is desirable because there may be occasions where further supplementary planting is required.
Indicator 7.5.2 Forest Health
Benchmark 7.5.2.1
Notes of observations of general forest health as indicated by insect and fungal attack, canopy colour and density and mortality of edge trees shall be made at the time harvest sites are inspected for regeneration.
Verifier 7.5.2.1
Periodic observation; adoption of qualitative rating systems; photo-points and aerial photography.
Where forest damage or mortality is observed as a result of harvesting activity, management systems, including harvesting methods, should be reviewed and improved to minimise impacts on stand health.
Indicator 7.5.3 Forest Tending
Where beech forest management incorporates silvicultural tending to maintain stem growth and form (thinning, pruning), records of operations performed are an essential component of management.
Benchmark 7.5.3.1
Silvicultural records to be kept shall include site/ coupe number and location, estimated regeneration density before thinning, density (or spacing) after thinning, pruning height and predominant mean height (average height of the 100 tallest individuals per hectare).
Verifier 7.5.3.1
Inspection of forest records.
Indicator 7.5.4 Harvest Regulation and Records
Benchmark 7.5.4.1
Harvest records shall be maintained, by species and location, for each year harvesting is undertaken.
Verifier 7.5.4.1
Inspection of forest records and maps.
The regulation of the quantity of timber harvested annually or periodically is an important part of sustainable forest management. There are likely to be two types of records kept by a landowner - timber harvest records and recovered (sold) timber volumes (where 'timber' means logs).
Benchmark 7.5.4.2
The volume of standing trees selected and marked for harvest shall be determined from the measurement of dbh and height, at the time of selection for harvest, and be recorded on a species by species basis.
Verifier 7.5.4.2
Inspection of records of trees selected for harvest.
These records, totalled progressively as the selection process is undertaken, indicate when the permissible standing harvest volume, by species, has been reached.
It may be that some trees are not felled for safety or other reasons and additional trees may be selected, marked and recorded up to the defined limit.
Benchmark 7.5.4.3
Harvest regulation shall be conducted using equivalent units of measurement and volume estimation to the inventory and the approved harvest volumes in SFM Plans. Where weight scale is used to measure and control the harvest of small-wood products weights shall be converted to equivalent roundwood measure for reporting purposes.
Verifier 7.5.4.3
Inventory methodology relative to harvest records; verification of conversion factors.
Indicator 7.5.5
Recovered Timber Volumes
Benchmark 7.5.5.1
The quantity of timber harvested, by species, and its destination, shall be recorded.
Verifier 7.5.5.1
Harvest records (e. g. sales receipts, trucking dockets).
While the standing volumes above serve as the indicator for harvest regulation, landowners must also maintain records of the volumes by species, loaded onto trucks and despatched to sawmills or other processing facilities.
The unit of measure in this case is likely to be either a weighbridge record or cylindrical log measure, calculated from cylinder volume tables or functions (NZ Forest Service, 1970). These units of measure are not comparable to the standing measure. Also there may be a significant part of the measured tree trunk left in the forest as non-merchantable material. This volume is of particular interest to the owner, as it influences the profitability of a forest management operation. This statistic, while not essential, is also of interest to MAF. Recovered log volumes are sourced at regular intervals from the registered sawmiller, who must maintain and provide periodic returns, by landowner and location, to MAF.
Stand Record -Example
| Date: | Compt. No Coupe No |
Harvest Total Volume |
Regeneration Density |
Planting Pruning Thinning |
Notes: Forest Health Weeds, Animals |
| 20/7 00 | Compt. 5/ 3 | red b. 70 m 3 , (4.4 m 3 sawlog delivered) silver b. 120 m 3 , (72.3 m 3 sawlog delivered) |
13 000 sph silver 2 000 red beech MTH 1m |
Edge trees - nil damage | |
| 5/ 03/ 10 | MTH 3.0 m | Waste thinned to 2 000 sph | |||
| 15/ 4/ 21 | MTH 5.5 m | Waste thinned to 750 sph |
This form of stand recording is suitable for management of even aged patches of forest. Where the forest is managed on a single tree or small group basis, records may need to be more extensive but harvest volumes, regeneration estimates, observations of residual damage and planting records should be maintained if not on a site basis, on a compartment basis.
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