GREENWAYS & NATURAL LANDS

Vegetation Monitoring

All plant species encountered will be documented and added to the base inventory. On several of the SCNLP properties, the Central Florida (Tarflower) Chapter of the Native Plant Society, has initiated these base inventories. In addition, plant species lists will be obtained from students and other organized groups using the Natural Lands for research and recreation-based nature studies. Vegetation transects will be monitored biannualy in the spring and fall quarters.

Wildflowers are an attractive element of natural communities. Fire can have a profound influence on wildflower populations. After a fire event, many species increase in abundance and many others reappear after a long absence resulting from lack of fire. In order to determine species' presence pre- and post-fire, surveys will be conducted quarterly. Quarterly surveys are necessary because of varying flowering phenologies among species.

MONITORING PROTOCOL
TRANSECTS
	Plant surveys are done independently of the wildflower surveys.
	Every site has at least one plant transect established.
	All transect sampling points are denoted with a piece of metal "rebar".
	One meter square sampling plots will be one method used to sample plant populations on these transects.
	When using this technique, the investigator should either count each stem for every species, or give percentage quantities:81-100% coverage, 61-80% coverage, 41-60% coverage, 21-40% coverage,1-20% coverage.
	When using the meter square method place a corner of the square on the rebar pole and have the square in the Northeast direction (see below).
	Other plant survey methods can be used such as the point-centered quarter technique, and line intercept technique.