Introduction to the FIA Down Woody Materials Indicator

Introduction to the FIA Down Woody Materials Indicator 1 st of 3 Part Training Series Christopher Woodall DWM National Indicator Advisor

Outline • • Indicator Updates What are Down Woody Materials? Why Collect DWM data? Sampling Design Theory

Indicator Updates • • • No sample protocol changes Field manual updated in 2004 Web-site updated DWM sample design and analysis in press – NC-GTR-256 Web-based dissemination of data and wider use of data

Definition of DWM 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 Duff Coarse Woody Debris Fine Woody Debris Shrubs/ Herbs Slash 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 Medium FWD 10 -hour Large FWD 100 -hour CWD 1000+-hour 0. 25 -0. 99 inches 1. 00 -2. 99 inches 3. 00+ inches

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

Slash/Residue Piles of CWD

Shrub and Herbs “Live and dead shrubs/herbs including grass, herbaceous woody plants, and vines”

Fuelbed “Depth of the fuel’s complex, from forest floor to the tallest fuel component”

Why collect DWM data? • • • Indicator of Forest Health Wildlife Habitat Fuels Estimation Carbon Estimation Completes Life Cycle of Trees

Indicator of Forest Health Crown Condition Soils Ozone Injury Down Woody Materials Lichens Tree Damage Vegetation Structure and Diversity

Wildlife The DWM Inventory describes the amount and condition of wildlife habitat through estimation of coarse woody debris attributes.

Wildlife Mean estimates of CWD volumes forests of the North Central Region

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

Fuels 1 -hr 100 -hr Total Fine Woody Debris

Fire Science Estimates for DWM in Boundary Waters Canoe Area Compared to rest of region

Carbon Estimation Estimates of Regional Carbon Pools for Coarse Woody Debris Estimates for International Treaties and Criterion Indicators

DWM and National Inventory Completes inventory of trees from living, to dead, to decomposed Microplot Sapling Sub-plot Tree Sub-plot Standing Dead DWM Down and Dead

Summary of DWM Components

DWM Sampling Theory DWM Component Sampling Design CWD, FWD Transect Duff, Litter, Fuelbed Simple Random Sampling at Specified Points in Sub-plot Shrubs and Herbs Micro-plot Slash Piles Sub-plot DWM diversity requires a diversity of sampling methods

Sampling on the Sub-Plot Slash Piles 2 Microplot N Subplot 1 4 3 Similar to sampling phase two trees, if a center of a slash pile coincides with a subplot it is considered an “in” slash pile

Sampling on the Sub-Plot “out” slash pile “in” slash pile Slash piles are sampled across all four subplots FIA Subplot

Sampling on the Microplot In order to estimate shrub/herb heights and coverage forests (fuel ladders) 6. 8 ft Radius estimate shrub/herb heights and coverage occurring on micro-plot

Depth Estimates on Subplot Litter In order to estimate depth of duff, litter, and the fuelbed on a subplot… Duff 12 sample points located for measurement on subplots Fuelbed

Depth Estimates on Subplots 2 Sample Locations 1 4 3

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

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

Transect Sampling Planes DWM Sample Protocol establishes 6 foot tall sampling transects that radiate from FIA subplot centers to intersect fine woody pieces

CWD and FWD Transects Use 3 transects established on each subplot to sample CWD, one transect on each subplot to sample FWD

Bringing it all Together

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 • Series of different sampling techniques for estimation of various DWM components applied to phase two plots