1st of 3 Part Training Series

1. Introduction to the P2+ Down Woody Materials Indicator 1st of 3 Part Training Series Christopher Woodall

2. Outline • Why Collect DWM data? • What is P2+ DWM? • What are Down Woody Materials? • Sampling Design Theory

3. Why collect DWM data? • Forest Structure • Wildlife Habitat • Fuel Loading • Carbon Stocks • Nutrient Cycles

4. Forest Structure • Measure structural attributes missed by phase 2 Coarse Woody Debris Fine Woody Debris Litter Duff

5. Wildlife The DWM Inventory describes the amount and condition of wildlife habitat

6. Wildlife Mean estimates of CWD volumes for forests of the North Central Region

7. Wildlife 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

8. Fuels 1-hr 10-hr 100-hr Total Fine Woody Debris

9. Fire Science • LANDFIRE: National Mapping of Fuel Loadings • Fuels Management: Allocation of Fuel Management Funding • Resource Assessments: Relationships to ownership and management • Forest Vegetation Simulator Fuel Estimates

10. Carbon Stocks Climate Negotiations Wood energy policies and availability Climate change mitigation

11. 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

12. 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+

13. What is DWM P2+? Collect detailed DWM data on a few plots Collect only most important DWM data on many plots Vs

14. 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

15. What was Dropped from previous p3? • Fuelbed Depth • All microplot measurements • CWD end-point and length measurements • One transect per subplot

16. What was revised? • Transect locations • Only 2 transects per subplot • Slash piles measured along transect • Only CWD attributes at point of intersection measured • Non-sampled statuses for numerous components

17. Behold New Plot Design 360 2 FWD < 0.25”& 6 ft. HD. 0.26 – 0.9” FWD 1.0 – 2.9”” 10 ft. HD. 180 CWD 24 ft. HD • ≥ 3.00” N 1 HD.=horizontal dist. 90 270 Subplot 45 CWD Transect 315 4 3 FWD Transect Duff/Litter Sample Points 225 135 Subplot Center

18. Why the New transects? • Avoids transect orientation bias while reducing number of transects…imagine it as one big “Y” transect from old P3 design Final subplot 1 transect balances larger “Y” orientation

19. 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

20. DWM Components Coarse Woody Debris Fine Woody Debris Litter Duff Slash

21. Coarse and Fine woody debris

22. Fuel-Hour Classes

23. Duff and Litter “dead plant material on forest floor surface” “unrecognizable plant parts”

24. Slash/residue Piles Piles of CWD

25. DWM sampling Theory DWM diversity requires a diversity of sampling methods

26. Depth Estimates on subplot In order to estimate depth of duff and litter on a subplot… Litter 8 sample points located for measurement on subplots at the end of each transect Duff

27. Depth Estimates on Subplots Sample Locations

28. Depth Sampling Status • 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 Old P3 Calculation P2+ Calculation 11 points with rocks = null 1 point with deep litter = 5 inches Plot Average = 5 inches 11 points with rocks = 0 1 point with deep litter = 5 inches Plot Average = 0.4 inches Potentially Biased!

29. Transect Sampling FWD and CWD pieces are not all counted within a given area rather… All FWD and CWD pieces that intersect a sampling plane are tallied

30. Transect Sampling Probability of match stick intersecting randomly placed line related to number of sticks and length of line

31. Transect Sampling Planes DWM Sample Protocol establishes sampling transects that radiate from FIA subplot centers to intersect fine and coarse woody pieces

32. CWD and fwd transects Use 2 transects established on each subplot to sample CWD, one transect on each subplot to sample FWD

33. Only measure piece information at point of intersection Transect imaginary sampling plane

34. 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

35. Bringing it all together 360 2 FWD < 0.25”& 6 ft. HD. 0.26 – 0.9” FWD 1.0 – 2.9”” 10 ft. HD. 180 CWD 24 ft. HD • ≥ 3.00” N 1 HD.=horizontal dist. 90 270 Subplot 45 CWD Transect 315 4 3 FWD Transect Duff/Litter Sample Points 225 135 Subplot Center

36. 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

37. Questions Blast from Past P3 National Training Macon, GA 2002