Forest Health Indicator: Tree and crown Date: condition · Forest Health Indicator: Tree and crown ... protection and moisture, while the alga or cyanobacterium provides food through

Forest Health Indicator: Tree and crown condition

S T U D e n T P A g e

38 project learning tree Exploring Environmental Issues: Focus on Forests Monitoring Forest Health © AmericAn Forest FoundAtion

Name(s):____________________________________________________________________

Location:__________________________________Date:__________________________________

Damagetotreesbydisease,airpollution,weather,orhumanactivitiescanaffectthehealthofforestsandcanalsobeanindicationofoverallforesthealth.

MaterialsPaper,pencils,chalk

MethodCountallthetreesintheplot,markingthetreeswithcoloredchalktohelpyoukeeptrack.Notetreesthathaveoneormoresignsofdiseaseordamage(seebelow).Tocountitasdiseasedordamaged,10percentormoreofthetreeshouldbeaffected.Calculatethepercentageofalltreesintheplotthathavesuchsigns.

Signs of Disease or Damage

Sign What it may indicate

Treehasraggedleaveswithholes Insectsfeedingontheleaves

Blackorbrownleaves Stemorleafdisease

Spotsorbumpsonleaves Insectsandmites

Twistedormalformedleaves Insectsanddisease,herbicides

Leaveschangingcolorbeforefall Trunkorrootdamage,drought,pollution

Branchdecay Unhealedwounds

Peelingorbrokenbark,holesinthebark Trunkwound,cankerdisease,ordamagecausedbyhumansoranimals

Dyingbranchesononesideofcrown Rootdecay,rootinjuryorinternalstemdisease,insectattack

Canker(adeadsectionofatrunkorbranch) Fungalinfections

Splits Brokenbranches

Hollows Waterenteringthrougholdwoundsandsupportingwooddecaybyfungi

Fungiormushroomsgrowingontree Internaldecompositionofwoodbyfungi

Greenorbrownspotsonneedles Airpollution

resultsTotalnumberoftreeswithsignsofdiseaseordamageinplot:______________(ValueA)Totalnumberoftreesinplot:______________(ValueB)Percentageoftreesdamaged=ValueA÷ValueBx100=______________percent

ratingTree and Crown Condition

Rating Description Points

Good Lessthan25percentoftreeshavedamage 3

Fair 25–50percentoftreeshavedamage 2

Poor Greaterthan50percentoftreeshavedamage 1

Overall Tree and Crown Condition rating for sample plot:


project learning tree Exploring Environmental Issues: Focus on Forests Monitoring Forest Health 39

© AmericAn Forest FoundAtion

Forest Health Indicator: Forest Diversity

Name(s):____________________________________________________________________

Location:__________________________________Date:__________________________________

Ahealthyforestincludesavarietyofdifferentplantsandanimals.Onewaytoassessthisdiversityistodeterminewhetherthereisamixofplantspeciesofdifferentsizesandages,thuscreatingforest“layers”thatprovidehabitatformanyspecies.

MaterialsPencil,paper,tapemeasure,chalk,treeidentificationguide(optional)

MethodLookattheleaves,bark,seedpods,orflowersofthetreesinyourforestplottodeterminewhethertheyarethesameordifferentspecies.UsetheTree Species Diversitychartbelowtocatalogthisinformation.Treeidentificationguidesarehelpfulwiththisstep,butnotnecessary.Ifatreeidentificationguideisnotavailable,useyourobservationskillstodescribethedifferencesintreetypesandincludethisinformationintheTree Species Diversitychartbelow.

Measure(orestimate)thediameteratbreastheight(DBH)foralltreesinthesampleplot.Count(orestimate)thenumberoftreesofdifferentsizeclassesusingthecorrespondingDBHsizeclassificationsfoundintheSize Diversitychartbelowandrecordyourfindings.Tohelpyou,considerusingchalktomarkthetreesyouhavealreadycounted.

Assessthepresenceorabsenceofdifferentforestlayers,usingthedescriptionsfoundintheForest Layer Diversitychartandrecordyourfindings.

resultsTree Species Diversity

Name or Description Number found in sample plot

Species1

Species2

Species3

Species4

Species5

Size Diversity

Tree Size DBH Number found in sample plot

SaplingsorPoles 4–9inches(10–24cm)

Small 10–14inches(25–37cm)

Medium 15–19inches(38–49cm)

Large 20–29inches(50–75cm)

Giant 30inchesorgreater(>75cm)

Note:Pleasecontinuelistingtoaccountforallspeciespresentinsampleplot.

Forest Health Indicator: Forest Diversity (cont.)


Forest Layer Diversity

Tree Layer Description Present in sample plot? (Yes/ No)

Overstory Treeswhosecanopiesarefullyexposedtothesun

Understory Treesgrowingintheshadeofothertrees

TallshrubShrubs(woodyplantswithseveralstemsarisingfromthebase)greaterthan6feet(1.8meters)inheight

Shortshrub shrubslessthan6feet(1.8meters)inheight

Forb herbaceous(non-woody)plantssuchasferns,wildflowers,andgrasses

Leaflitter Deadanddecayingleavesandothermatterontheforestfloor

ratingTree Species Diversity


Good Threeormoretreespeciespresent 3

Fair Twotreespeciespresent 2

Poor Onetreespeciespresent 1

Tree Species Diversity rating for sample plot: (ValueA)

Size Diversity


Good Threeormoresizeclassespresent 3

Fair Twoorsizeclassespresent 2

Poor Onesizeclasspresent 1

Size Diversity rating for sample plot: (ValueB)

Forest Layer Diversity


Good Fiveorsixlayerspresent 3

Fair Threeorfourlayerspresent 2

Poor Oneortwolayerspresent 1

Forest Layer Diversity rating for sample plot: (ValueC)

Overall Rating Determinetheoverallratingbyaddingupthepointsshownforthetreespecies,size,andforestlayerdiversityratings;thendividingthetotalby3.Roundthetotaltothenearestwholenumber.

(ValueA+ValueB+ValueC)÷3=______________(Averagepointvalue)

OverallratingforForestDiversity:Good: Averagepointvalueof3Fair: Averagepointvalueof2Poor: Averagepointvalueof1

Overall Forest Diversity rating for sample plot: ______________

SourcesGreenleafForestryandWoodProductsInc.2010.“ForestHealthChecklist.”http://www.greenleafforestry.com/greenleafservices_006.htm.

PortlandStateUniversity.2010.“Protocol:MeasuringTreeDiameter,ClassSize,andAverageSpeciesDiameter.”Ecoplexity.http://ecoplexity.org/node/236?page=0,4.


S T U D e n T P A g eForest Health Indicator: Lichen Abundance

Name(s):____________________________________________________________________

Location:__________________________________Date:__________________________________

Lichensoftengrowontreesandshrubs,absorbingnutrientsfromtheatmosphere.Becauselichensareverysensitivetoairpollution—particularlytosulfurdioxide,fluoride,andammonia—theirpresenceorabsenceisanindicatorofforesthealth.Theacidityofatree’sbarkcanalsoaffectlichenabundance.

Alichenisactuallytwodifferentorganisms—eitherafungusandanalga,orafungusandacyanobacterium—livinginasymbioticrelationship.Thefungusprovidesprotectionandmoisture,whilethealgaorcyanobacteriumprovidesfoodthroughphotosynthesis.

MaterialsString,tapemeasure,compass,chalk,100-circlegridtransparency

MethodSelect10treesonyourstudyplottosample.Foreachtree,measurethediameteratbreastheight(DBH),andtieastringaroundthetreetrunkatthatheight.Useacompasstodeterminenorth,south,east,andwest;thenmarkthedirectionswithchalkonthetreeatthestringline.

Ateachofthe4directions,placethe100-CircleGridTransparencyagainstthetree,andcountthenumberofcirclesinwhichlichensareshowing.Thatnumberrepresentsthepercentageoflichencoverage.Foreachtree,findtheaveragelichencoveragebytotalingthelichensfoundwithinthecirclesandthendividingthetotalby4.Findthetotalaveragelichencoverageoftheplot.

resultsForeachtreeanddirection,recordthenumberofcirclesthatshowlichens.Thisnumberrepresentsthepercentageoflichencoverage.

Trees help support many other living organisms, including these lichens. Far from harming the tree, lichens indicate pollution-free air. Photo by USDA Forest Service - Northeastern Area Archive, USDA Forest Service.




Lichen Abundance

North East South West Total Tree Average (%)

Tree1:

Tree2:

Tree3:

Tree4:

Tree5:

Tree6:

Tree7:

Tree8:

Tree9:

Tree10:

Totals:

Average:

Addupthetreeaverages,whichwillberecordedinthefinalcolumninthechartabove.Dividethistotalbythenumberoftreessampledtogettheaveragelichencoveragefortheentiresampleplot.

AverageLichenCoverageforsampleplot:______________percent

ratingLichen Abundance


Good Greaterthan5percentlichencoverage 3

Fair 3–5percentlichencoverage 2

Poor 0–2percentlichencoverage 1

Overall Lichen Abundance rating for sample plot:

SourcesPathfinderScience.2006.“SamplingProcedureforLichenCoverage.”http://www.pathfinderscience.net/so2/cproto1.cfm.

Smith,GregoryL.,andThomasR.Baker.2003.“LichensasBioindicators.”InThe Middle School Science Classroom,NSTAScienceScope,16–19.http://tbaker.com/tbaker/academics/papers/published/sciscope_lichens/released_byNSTA/Lichens%20as%20Bioindicators.pdf.

Forest Health Indicator: Lichen Abundance (cont.)


S T U D e n T P A g e100-circle

grid Transparency



S T U D e n T P A g eForest Health Indicator: Soil Quality

Name(s):____________________________________________________________________

Location:__________________________________Date:__________________________________

Thequalityofthesoilinaforestisanimportantindicatorofforesthealth.Howwellthesoilfunctionsdirectlyinfluencesthehealthofthetreesandotherforestorganisms.Anevaluationofsoilqualityusuallyinvolvesmeasuringthesoil’sphysical,chemical,andbiologicalmakeupatdifferentdepths.

MaterialsSpadeortrowel,3papercupsorplasticbags,distilledwater,eyedropper,3Petridishesorplasticcontainers,pHpaper,whitepaper

MethodChooseasoilsamplesitethatrepresentstheoverallforestplot,andmeasure1squarefoot(0.09squaremeters)ofground,markingthecornerswithsticksorrocks.Withintheplot,firstremovetheleaflitterlayerwithaspadeortrowel.Next,collectsoilsamplesfromdepthsofapproximately3inches(7.5cm),6inches(15cm),and1foot(30cm).Usepapercupsorplasticbagstostorethesamples.

Conductthefollowingassessmentsforeachsample,recordingyourresultsinthe“SoilQualityResultsandRatings”chartbelow.

resultsSoil TypeMostsoilsareamixtureofsand,silt,andclay.Thespecificcontentofagivensoilinfluenceshowwellitholdsnutrientsandwater.Tofindoutyoursoiltype,takeasmallamountofsoil(aboutthesizeofamarble),andmoistenitwithafewdropsofwater.Squeezeitbetweenyourthumbandfingers.

Recordyourresultsinthe“SoilQualityResultsandRatings”chart.

Soil Types

Soil Type Squeezed Moist Soil Rating

Sand FeelsgrittyandcannotholdballshapePoor—Hasfewnutrients,holdslittlewater,andispronetodrought

SandyLoam Canbemoldedintoaball,butballbreaksupeasilyGood—Hasgoodbalanceofnutrientsandmoistureretention

SiltCanbemoldedintoaballthatiseasilydeformed;doesnotfeelgrittyandhassilkinesslikeflour

Fair—Hasmorenutrientsandholdsmorewaterthansand,butwashesaway(erodes)easily

LoamCanbemoldedintoaballthatcanbehandledquitefreelywithoutbreaking

Good—Hasgoodbalanceofnutrientsandmoistureretention

ClayLoamCanbeformedintoalongthinrodor“ribbon”thatwillbreakreadily,barelysustainingitsownweight

Good—Hasgoodbalanceofnutrientsandmoistureretention

ClayStickyandcaneasilybeformedintolongthinrodor“ribbon”

Fair—Holdswaterverywell,butdoesnotallowmovementofairorwater,sodoesn’tdrainwell


S T U D e n T P A g eForest Health Indicator:

Soil Quality (cont.)Soil pHSoilpHisameasureofhowacidicoralkalinethesoilis,anditisanindicatorofsoilquality.Measure1tablespoonofsoilfromeachdepth,placethisamountontoindividualPetridishesorplasticcontainers,andlabelthesoilsamples.Weteachsoilsamplewith5dropsofdistilledwater,andallowittositfor3to5minutes.PlaceonepieceofpHpaperoneachsoilsample.DeterminetheapproximatepHofyoursoil.

Soil pH


Good pHof5.51–7.2,whichisoptimumformanyplantspecies 3

Fair pHof7.2–8.5(moderatelyalkaline)or4.0–5.5(moderatelyacid) 2

Poor pHof4.0andless(acid),orgreaterthan8.5(alkaline) 1


Soil OrganismsThepresenceoflivingorganismsinthesoilisanimportantindicatorofproductivesoils.Soilorganismsaidinnutrientcycling,soilcreation,anddecompositionoforganicmatteranddeadorganisms.Pourtheremainingsoilsampleontoawhitepieceofpaper,andlookforthepresenceofthefollowingorganisms.Foreachtype,circlewhetheritispresentornot.(Soilfungiaremicroscopiccellsthatgrowaslongthreadsorstrandsinthesoil.)

Soil Organisms

Soil Depth Ants/Termites

Centipedes/Millipedes Earthworms Fungi Other Other

3in(7.5cm) PresentNone PresentNone PresentNone PresentNone

6in(15cm) PresentNone PresentNone PresentNone PresentNone

12in(30cm) PresentNone PresentNone PresentNone PresentNone

Soil Organisms


Good 3ormoretypesofsoilorganismspresentinsoilsample 3

Fair 1or2typesoforganismspresentinsoilsample 2

Poor nosoilorganismspresentinsoilsample 1





Soil Quality (cont.)ratingCircletheratingsthatapplyforeachdepthandeachassessment.Determinetheaveragescoreforeachdepthbyaddingupthepointsshownforeachratinganddividingthetotalby3.Findtheaverageofthethree“AverageSoilQualityatEachDepth”ratingstogettheoverallsoilquality.

Good: Averagepointvalueof3Fair: Averagepointvalueof2Poor: Averagepointvalueof1

Overall Soil Quality rating for sample plot: ______________

SourceUSDAForestService.2007.“SoilVitalSigns:SoilQualityIndex(SQI)forAssessingForestSoilHealth.”http://www.fs.fed.us/rm/pubs/rmrs_rp065.pdf.

Soil Quality Results and Ratings

3 in (7.5 cm) deep 6 in (15 cm) deep 12 in (30 cm) deep

SoilType

Type:________________________________Good:3pointsFair: 2pointsPoor: 1point



SoilpH




SoilOrganisms




Total Points

Average Soil Quality at Each Depth (roundedtonearestwholenumber)

Overall Soil Quality(roundedtonearestwholenumber)


S T U D e n T P A g eForest Health Indicator: regeneration

Name(s):____________________________________________________________________

Location:__________________________________Date:__________________________________

Forestregenerationisagoodmeasureofthehealthoftheforesthabitat.Whenaforestcanproduceenoughyoungtreestoreplacethecanopytreeswhentheyarecut,blowndown,ordie,suchproductionisanindicationthattheforestisvibrantandsustainable.Regenerationismeasuredbythenumberoftreeseedlingspresent.

MaterialsTapemeasure,stringorothermarker

MethodUsingatapemeasureandstringorothermarker,dividethestudyplotinto9equalsegments(8equalsegments,ifitisacircleplot).Surveyeachsegmentanddeterminewhetherthereisahealthyseedlingthatisatleast12inches(30cm)tallifitisaconifer,andatleast39inches(1meter)tallifitisadeciduoustree.Tobeconsideredhealthy,theseedlingmustnothaveanyapparentdamagetoitsleavesorstems.

resultsNumberofforestplotsegmentswithatleastonehealthyseedling:______________(ValueA)Numberoftotalforestplotsegments:______________(ValueB)

PercentageofplotswithatleastonehealthyseedlingValueA÷ValueBx100=______________percent

rating

SourceForestryBranch,ProvinceofManitoba.2010.“SilvacultureSurveys:RegenerationSurveys.”http://www.gov.mb.ca/conservation/forestry/renewal/surveys.html.

12”

39”



Plot Segments


Good Morethan66percentofplotsegmentshaveatleastonehealthyseedling. 3

Fair 33to66percentofplotsegmentshaveatleastonehealthyseedling. 2

Poor Lessthan33percentofplotsegmentshaveatleastonehealthyseedling. 1

Overall Regeneration rating for sample plot:

Coniferousseedling Deciduousseedling

S T U D e n T P A g eForest Health Indicator: Snags and coarse Woody Debris

Name(s):____________________________________________________________________

Location:__________________________________Date:__________________________________

Innaturalforestecosystems,snags(standingdeadtrees)andcoarsewoodydebris(deadlogsandlargebranchesontheground)areimportantindicatorsofforesthealth.Theirpresenceindicatesaforestofdiverseages,andthesnagsanddebrisprovideanimalhabitat,energyandnutrientcycling,andstablesoils.Note: Inparksornearstructures,forestmanagersmayremovesnagsorcoarsewoodydebristopreventfireandothersafetyhazards.Ifyourforestplotisinsuchanarea,thepresenceofsnagsordebriswillnotbearelevantforesthealthindicator.

MaterialsTapemeasure

MethodCountthenumberofsnagsandthenumberoflivetreesinyourforestplot,andcalculatethepercentageofstandingtreesthataresnags.Then,countthenumberofdeadlogsanddownedlargebranchesinyourplotthataremorethan4inches(10cm)indiameterandmorethan39inches(1m)inlength,andcalculatetheirabundance.

resultsSnagsNumberofsnagsinplot:______________(ValueA)Numberoflivetreesinplot:______________(ValueB)

Totalnumberofstandingtreesinplot:ValueA+ValueB=______________(ValueC)

Percentageofsnags:ValueA÷ValueCx100=______________percent(ValueD)

Coarse Woody DebrisNumberoflogsanddownedbranchesgreaterthan4inches(10cm)indiameterand39inches(1m)inlength:______________(ValueE)

Abundanceofcoursewoodydebris:(ValueE÷ValueB)x100=______________percent(ValueF)

(Note:Forsomeforestplots,abundancemaybemorethan100percent.)



Snags and coarse Woody Debris (cont.)

ratingSnags


Good Morethan10percentofstandingtreesaresnags. 3

Fair From5to10percentofstandingtreesaresnags. 2

Poor Fewerthan5percentofstandingtreesaresnags. 1

Snags rating for sample plot points(ValueG)

Coarse Woody Debris


Good Morethan15percentabundanceofcoarsewoodydebris. 3

Fair From5to15percentabundanceofcoarsewoodydebris. 2

Poor Fewerthan5percentabundanceofcoarsewoodydebris. 1

Coarse Woody Debris rating for sample plot points(ValueH)

Overall RatingDeterminetheoverallratingbyaddingupthepointsshownforthesnagandcoarsewoodydebrisratings,andthendividethetotalby2.Roundtothenearestwholenumber.

(ValueG+ValueH)÷2=______________

Good: Averagepointvalueof3Fair: Averagepointvalueof2Poor: Averagepointvalueof1

Overall Snags and Coarse Woody Debris rating for sample plot: ______________

SourceNationalParkService.2009.“ForestHealth:CourseWoodyDebrisandSnags.”ResourceBrief,NortheastTemperateNetwork.http://science.nature.nps.gov/im/units/NETN/Education/Resource%20Briefs/NETN_RB_CWDSnags_FINAL.pdf



S T U D e n T P A g eForest Health Indicator: Wildlife

Name(s):____________________________________________________________________

Location:__________________________________Date:__________________________________

Thepresenceofavarietyofwildlifeisanindicatorthataforestisvibrantandhealthy.Actuallyseeingtheanimalsmaybedifficult,buttracks,droppings,burrows,dens,nests,chewedleaves,andotherevidenceor“signs”revealtheirexistence.Youaremorelikelytoseeorheartheanimalsifyouarequiet,respectful,andpatient.

MaterialsPencil,paper,binocularsormagnifyingglass(optional)

MethodInyourforestplot,lookontheground,undershrubs,andintreesformammals,birds,reptiles,amphibians,spiders,orinsects,orforsignsofthoseanimals.Recordyourobservations.

results

rating

Animal Signs and Sightings

Animal Class Signs Sightings

Mammals

Birds

Reptiles

Amphibians

Spiders

Insects

Other

Wildlife


Good Signsorsightingsof4ormoredifferentclassesofanimals 3

Fair Signsorsightingsof2–3differentclassesofanimals 2

Poor Signsorsightingsof0–1differentclassesofanimals 1

Overall Wildlife rating for sample plot:


S T U D e n T P A g eForest Health Summary Name(s):__________________________________

__________________________________Location:__________________________________

Date:__________________________________

UsethispagetotallytheForestHealthIndicatorinvestigationsthatyouhaveconductedforyourforestplot,whilenotinganykeyobservations.Usetheindicatorstomakeanassessmentoftheforest’soverallhealth.

Forest Health Summary

Forest Health

Indicator

Overall Point Value(3, 2, or 1)

OverallRating

(Good, Fair, or Poor)

Key Observations

TreeandCrownCondition

ForestDiversity

LichenAbundance

SoilCondition

Regeneration

SnagsandCoarseWoodyDebris

Wildlife

Averages/Conclusions

What is the Overall Health Assessment for your study plot?

Explain your reasoning.



Documents

Forest Health Indicator: Tree and crown Date: condition · Forest Health Indicator: Tree and crown ... protection and moisture, while the alga or cyanobacterium provides food through