Researchers have developed a system for measuring biodiversity value of commercial plantations and determined a range of measures to help increase plantation biodiversity values.
All forests, be they industrial plantations or native old-growth forests, provide a range of habitats for conserving and enhancing biodiversity.
CSIRO scientists have undertaken research to measure the biodiversity value in planted forest systems, and developed tools for targeting and assessment of plantation and revegetation projects.
Biodiversity in farm forestry, environmental plantings and native forest
The biodiversity value of revegetation programs needs to be properly quantified for informed decision making. Biodiversity indicators, such as habitat complexity and bird species richness, can be used to do this.
In Spring 2005 surveys of bird species and numbers were undertaken at 38 sites of direct-seeded revegetation, tubestock revegetation, natural regeneration following stock exclusion, remnant forest and farm forestry plantation in north-central Victoria, Australia.
Relationships between biodiversity indicators, forest type, age and vegetation structure indicated that woodland bird species, known to be declining in the region, were most strongly associated with the older revegetation sites and remnant woodland sites.
The Plantation Biodiversity Scorecard can be used at the planning, management and harvesting stages of any plantation operation in Australia.
Investigations suggested that the bird fauna were most likely to interact with structural features of the habitat, such as vegetation cover and age of woody vegetation, rather than with functional features, such as carbon sequestration.
Similarly, carbon sequestration was more likely to be associated with structural features of the habitat than the bird fauna within.
This work suggests that it’s possible to have ecosystems that are highly functional over the short term, without necessarily having a diverse fauna.
Plantation Biodiversity Scorecard
To assess the relative biodiversity benefits of a plantation plan or established coupe, researchers developed a rapid scoring system that can be used at the planning, management and harvesting stages of any plantation operation in Australia.
The Plantation Biodiversity Scorecard (PBS) uses a score based on extensive research on the biodiversity values of native forests, commercial plantations and environmental plantings established to specifically improve habitat for native species.
The PBS has been incorporated into the Scenario Planning and Investment Framework (SPIF) tool to assess the score of individual plantation plans.
The user selects an area to establish a plantation and is provided with a series of questions related to establishing mixed age stands, increasing rotation length and planting buffers of local native trees, shrubs and grasses.
Outcomes
The biodiversity studies suggest that the habitat values of commercial plantings can be improved by:
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establishing mixed-age stands
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increasing rotation length
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planting buffers of local native trees, shrubs and grasses
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including in their plans native stream-side vegetation, or the incorporation of old native trees with hollows and fallen timber
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targeting plantations near isolated patches of native forest to improve habitat connectivity for native species.
Find out more about CSIRO’s work in Biodiversity & Ecology.
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