Adaptive Management Projects

Project Summary: Protocol for Operational Brushing Evaluations (PROBE)

Ministry of Forests Research Program Kamloops and Nelson Forest Regions

Contacts:
Suzanne Simard E-mail SSIMARD
Alan Vyce

Background:
This protocol was developed for monitoring operational brushing treatments in the Kamloops and Nelson Forest Regions. The need for the protocol was endorsed by the Forest Districts in the Kamloops F.R. at a meeting held on Feb. 27, 1991.

PROBE builds on the concepts presented in other vegetation management research design protocols, particularly those by Herring and Pollack (1985), Hays (1990, unpubl.) and Northern Interior Vegetation Management Association (1990, unpubl.). PROBE includes options for monitoring habitat conditions using the procedures of the habitat Monitoring Committee (1990), as well as options for assessing impacts of broadcast applications of prescribed fire and mechanical site preparation, using modifications of procedures described by Trowbridge et al. (1986) and Curran and Thompson (1991, unpubl.). The protocol will be subject to further revisions and improvements as more experience is gained and new situations are encountered.

Objective:
To provide a monitoring framework for use in a wide array of vegetation complexes, ecosystems (site series), and operational vegetation management treatments. The framework standardizes installation location, response measurements and statistical analyses.

Experimental Design:
PROBE is intended solely for voluntary operational monitoring. It provides for extensive, quantitative evaluations of common treatments in the most frequently treated vegetation complexes; and is detailed enough that an individual who is familiar with research plot layout and monitoring can easily complete a high quality installation. PROBE should be considered and adjunct to both program-level evaluations and research trials, and used to fill rapidly the large information gap on the effectiveness of operational treatments. The PROBE method satisfies the basic objective of most operational brushing evaluations, which is to determine the effects of vegetation management treatments on:

• the survival and growth of crop trees
• the abundance of target non-crop trees

This it does by comparing crop tree and non-crop vegetation response in a designated treated area, with response in a designated control area. When the user selects Treatment and Control plots, criteria are provided to ensure that the plots are located in areas that are similar in ecosystem characteristics and site history. Thirty-six tree-centered subplots are located in each of the Treatment and Control plots in which assessments are made.

The condition of wildlife habitat can be monitored within the PROBE framework, in addition to the basic assessments of target crop tree growth and target non-crop vegetation abundance. To that end, PROBE includes an option for assessing the abundance and distribution of all vascular plant species, using procedures developed by the Habitat Monitoring Committee (1990).

In addition to brushing treatments, site preparation treatments can also be monitored using PROBE. The results are used to quantify treatment intensity, in much the same way as application rate quantifies the intensity of a herbicide treatment.

The Treatment and Control for a particular complex/ecosystem/treatment combination are replicated at least three times, once on each of three sites (i.e., three installations). Each installation serves as a block in a randomized block design (RBD). Comparisons of crop tree performance and non-crop vegetation abundance are then made between the Treatment and Control using Analysis of Variance (ANOVA). This approach requires that all blocks within the RBD be identical in treatment, plot layout and measurements. It is a powerful approach, in that conclusions may be drawn about treatments across a broad range of sites.

In addition to comparing treatment means using ANOVA, the neighbourhood approach is used to build predictive models, which relate the performance of crop trees to the degree of crowding by neighbouring non-crop vegetation. More specifically, simple regression models are constructed to relate the size, and possibly survival, of target crop trees to indices of non-crop vegetation competition. The competition indices are calculated from easily measured non-crop vegetation parameters, including height, cover and, for hardwoods only, density.

Monitoring:
The subplots are assessed immediately before treatment and at pre-determined intervals up to 10 years after treatment.

1. Target Crop Trees
   1. Growth Crop tree growth is assessed in all subplots in each of the T and C. Measurements are seedling height (cm), height increment (cm), root collar diameter (mm), crown diameter (cm), crown length (cm), vigor, condition, damage, and height (%) and competitive status relative to surrounding non-crop vegetation.
   2. Density and stocking Density of all conifer species and stocking of well-spaced and free-growing trees are determined in all subplots in each of the T and C.
2. Target Non-crop Vegetation monitoring
   1. Competitive effect
   2. Efficacy of treatment
3. Wildlife Habitat (optional)
4. Prescribed Fire (optional)
5. Mechanical Site Preparation (optional)

Time Frame:
10 years

Current Status:
Being applied in different areas of the Kamloops and Nelson F.R. The PROBE program and the Veg. Management Program are currently being incorporated into one protocol (See AM write-up for Veg. Management Program)

References:
Land Management Report Number 86. 1993. PROBE: Protocol for Operational Brushing Evaluations (First Approximation). Province of B.C., MoF. - S.W. Simard.