Samford Peri-Urban Vegetation Structure and Cover Data 2010 

This data contains vegetation structure, species composition, cover and species basal area data collected at seven sites within the Samford Ecological Research Facility (SERF) in 2010 

We at TERN acknowledge the Traditional Owners and Custodians throughout Australia, New Zealand and all nations. We honour their profound connections to land, water, biodiversity and culture and pay our respects to their Elders past, present and emerging. 

The surveys were conducted for the purposes of compiling a botanical species list and reference collection for the study site, and for providing data related to species composition, cover, abundance and density for specific transects and broad vegetation areas. 

A vegetation survey was carried out for each transect based on the guidelines outlined in the ‘Methodology for Survey and Mapping of Regional Ecosystems and Vegetation Communities in Queensland’ (Neldner et al. 2005). Once a transect location was determined, two parallel 50m tapes were laid down at a 10m interval. General plot information was first recorded. Data included site number, survey date, recorders’ names and survey level. All transects were assigned a secondary level classification. Secondary level sites provide a detailed description of the regional ecosystems and vegetation communities being surveyed (Neldner et al. 2005). Location information was recorded, including a locality description, source of location data (GPS), transect coordinates (the centre point of each transect), and the precision of the GPS recording. A site description was provided.
Landform information was recorded. Broad classes of landform based on HERBRECS (The Queensland Herbarium’s floristic records database) divisions, and landform element, erosion pattern, and landform pattern derived from Speight (1990) were entered. Slope data, including slope type sourced from Speight (1990), slope angle derived from a laser range finder, slope aspect and slope elevation calculated by GPS, were recorded.
Ground cover measurements were determined by observational estimate. A percentage was assigned to leaf litter, rock, bare ground and cryptogam (mosses, algae, fungi) cover.
A Specht Structure Code was sourced from Neldner et al. (2005), reflecting the transects’ broad vegetation type (e.g. open forest, woodland). A line estimate of the crown cover of the upper stratum, or T1 layer, was recorded. This was achieved by noting the intersection points of the T1 species along each 50m tape measure. The median height, height range, total percentage cover, and key species percentage cover were recorded for each stratum. Heights were measured using a laser range finder, and crown covers were determined from visual estimates. A stem count by strata was carried out for each tree and shrub species. Percentage covers of species by strata were recorded. Basal area was recorded by species and stratum using a single, 360º sweep of a Bitterlich stick. A basal area factor of 1 from the 25m mark was used, attributing each tree counted with a basal area of 1m²/ha (Neldner et al. 2005). Photos of species and the landscape were taken at each site for reference.