1st of 3 Part Training Series
Christopher Woodall
INTRODUCTION TO THE P2+ DOWN
WOODY MATERIALS INDICATOR
Why Collect DWM data?What is P2+ DWM?What are Down Woody Materials?Sampling Design Theory
OUTLINE
Forest StructureWildlife HabitatFuel LoadingCarbon StocksNutrient Cycles
WHY COLLECT DWM DATA?
Measure structural attributes missed by phase 2
FOREST STRUCTURE
Coarse Woody Debris
Fine Woody Debris
Litter
Duff
WILDLIFE
The DWM Inventory describes the amount and condition of wildlife habitat
WILDLIFE
0200
400
600800
1000
1200
14001600
1800
2000
Il IN IA KS MI MN MO NE ND SD WI
State
ft3 /ac
re
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
FUELS
1-hr
10-hr
100-hr
Total Fine Woody Debris
LANDFIRE: National Mapping of Fuel LoadingsFuels Management: Allocation of Fuel Management
FundingResource Assessments: Relationships to ownership
and managementForest Vegetation Simulator Fuel Estimates
FIRE SCIENCE
CARBON STOCKS
Climate Negotiations
Wood energy policies and availability
Climate change mitigation
DWM AND OTHER PLOT MEASUREMENTS
Completes inventory of trees from living, to dead, to fully decomposed
Microplot Sapling
Sub-plot Tree
Sub-plot Standing
Dead
DWM Down and Dead
FUTURE OF DWM MEASUREMENT
Declining Budgets
DWM Measurement Critical to Numerous Resource Assessments
Major User Groups Request Continued Collection of DWM
= A More Efficient version of P3 DWM aka P2+
WHAT IS DWM P2+?
Collect detailed DWM data on a few plots
Collect only most important DWM data on many plots
Vs
THEORY BEHIND P2+
May better meet user’s needs using a “rapid” protocol to measure most requested data items on a “substantial” panel of plots:
Fuel loadings (including piles)Carbon stocks (including fine woody debris)
Biomass assessments
Use QA/QC information and user/field crew feedback to improve/remove variables
WHAT WAS DROPPED FROM PREVIOUS P3?
Fuelbed DepthAll microplot measurementsCWD end-point and length
measurementsOne transect per subplot
WHAT WAS REVISED?
Transect locationsOnly 2 transects per subplotSlash piles measured along
transectOnly CWD attributes at point of
intersection measuredNon-sampled statuses for
numerous components
BEHOLD NEW PLOT DESIGN
N
4 45
225
90
270
135
360
180
3
2
1
FWD < 0.25”& 0.26 – 0.9”
FWD 1.0 – 2.9””
6 ft. HD.
10 ft. HD.
24 ft. HD
HD.=horizontal dist.
Subplot
CWD Transect
FWD Transect
CWD≥ 3.00”
Duff/Litter Sample Points
315
Subplot Center
Avoids transect orientation bias while reducing number of transects…imagine it as one big “Y” transect from old P3 design
WHY THE NEW TRANSECTS?
N
4 45
225
90
270
135
360
180
3
2
1
315
Final subplot 1 transect balanceslarger “Y” orientation
DEFINITION OF DWM STAYS THE SAME
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 COMPONENTS
Coarse Woody Debris
Duff Slash
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
DWM SAMPLING THEORY
DWM Component Sampling Design
CWD, FWD, Slash Piles Transect
Duff and Litter Simple Random Sampling at Specified Points in Sub-plot
DWM diversity requires a diversity of sampling methods
DEPTH ESTIMATES ON SUBPLOT
Duff
Litter
In order to estimate depth of duff and
litter on a subplot…
8 sample points located for measurement on
subplots at the end of each transect
N
4 45
225
90
270
135
360
180
3
2
1
315
DEPTH ESTIMATES ON SUBPLOTS
Sample Locations
If point covered in snow or water it can now be indicated and not sampled
However, if rock or log is at point then it is sampled with potentially no duff/litter at location
DEPTH SAMPLING STATUS
Old P3 Calculation
11 points with rocks = null1 point with deep litter = 5 inches
Plot Average = 5 inches
P2+ Calculation
11 points with rocks = 01 point with deep litter = 5 inches
Plot Average = 0.4 inches
Potentially Biased!
TRANSECT SAMPLING
FWD and CWD pieces are not all counted within a
given arearather…
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 sampling transects that radiate from FIA subplot centers to intersect fine and coarse woody pieces
CWD AND FWD TRANSECTS
Use 2 transects established on each subplot to sample CWD,
one transect on each subplot to
sample FWD
N
4 45
225
90
270
135
360
180
3
2
1
315
ONLY MEASURE PIECE INFORMATION AT POINT OF
INTERSECTION
Transect imaginary sampling plane
VOLUME/BIOMASS ESTIMATION FROM JUST TRANSECT
MEASUREMENT?
We have only been using transect diameter for fine woody debris estimation for over a decade…now we apply similar estimator to coarse woody debris
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BRINGING IT ALL TOGETHER
N
4 45
225
90
270
135
360
180
3
2
1
FWD < 0.25”& 0.26 – 0.9”
FWD 1.0 – 2.9””
6 ft. HD.
10 ft. HD.
24 ft. HD
HD.=horizontal dist.
Subplot
CWD Transect
FWD Transect
CWD≥ 3.00”
Duff/Litter Sample Points
315
Subplot Center
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
• A variety of sampling techniques for estimation of various DWM components
•P2+ should be more efficient and robust
QUESTIONS
Blast from PastP3 National TrainingMacon, GA2002