Monitoring condition of frost flat heathlands, a critically threatened rare ecosystem in the Waikato region
TR 2013/56
Report: TR 2013/56
Author: Mark Smale, Neil B Fitzgerald, Scott Bartlam (Landcare Research)
About this report
A network of permanent plots was established in January–May 2013 for the Waikato Regional Council to establish a baseline for monitoring change in the condition – ‘ecological integrity’ – of the remaining substantial frost flat heathlands, a Critically Endangered Historically Rare ecosystem in the Waikato region.
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| Contents | ||
| 1 | Introduction | 1 |
| 2 | Background | 1 |
| 3 | Objective | 3 |
| 4 | Methods | 3 |
| 4.1 | Permanent plots | 3 |
| 4.2 | Data analysis | 6 |
| 5 | Results | 7 |
| 5.1 | Diagnostic frost flat species | 7 |
| 5.2 | Forest precursor species | 8 |
| 5.3 | Invasive weeds | 9 |
| 5.4 | Adventive dominance | 10 |
| 5.5 | Ecological integity | 10 |
| 5.6 | Conservation management priorities | 11 |
| 6 | Discussion and conclusions | 11 |
| 7 | Recommendations | 14 |
| 8 | Acknowledgements | 14 |
| 9 | References | 15 |
| Appendix 1 | Glossary of scientific terms | 17 |
| Appendix 2 | Flora of frost flat heathland in the Waikato region | 18 |