Executive summary
What the report is about
This project developed guidelines for survey and inventory of private native forest resources, to encourage adoption of proven, consistent and reliable methods. The project also summarised features of some recent private native forestry inventory projects. This report aims to increase understanding of the need for more consistent data collection methodologies.

 Who is the report targeted at?

The guidelines are for use by organisations that undertake regional inventories or assessments of private native forests. Regional inventories or assessments of private native forests may potentially be undertaken by, or for organisations such as: Private Forestry Development Committees, Catchment Management Authorities, State Government departments and agencies, and Australian Government departments and agencies.

This report may also assist people who are involved in mapping and inventory of native forests and woodlands, in particular private native forests –foresters, regional natural resource management groups and staff of government departments. In the long term, more consistent data collection will allow greater data sharing and more powerful planning and resource management across jurisdictions.

Background
Privately owned native forests represent the largest category of native forests in Australia. Information on the extent, composition, management and condition of these forests is important to assist planning and management at local, regional and national levels. Adoption of more consistent methods between organisations that undertake regional mapping and inventory of private native forests will lead to better data for assessment of area of private native forest, regional wood supply, conservation issues, and reporting on sustainability criteria and other benefits.

Aims/Objectives
The purpose of the project was to develop guidelines for survey and inventory methods for private native forest resources – to encourage and enable adoption of proven, consistent and reliable methods within and between organisations.

Methods used
A workshop to develop guidelines for regional private native forest resources inventories was held on 10 and 11 March 2005. These guidelines were prepared as a result of the workshop. The guidelines include:

• principles, general procedures and minimum standards
• the outputs required, for example, maps and reports showing forest location, age classes or stand structure, harvestable and restricted sites, timber and non-timber values, roads and other infrastructure.

Results/Key findings
The guidelines clearly differentiate two approaches to the collection of such data. The top-down approach aims to collect generalised information over large areas. An alternative is a bottom-up approach where data are collected at the individual landholder level and amalgamated to a regional and national level. Regardless of the method used, there is a need for standardisation of a wide range of aspects of data collection for inventory and stand condition assessment.

The workshop provided the opportunity to share information on approaches but detailed coverage of the requirements was not possible.

 Implications for relevant stakeholders

Organisations that play a role in coordinating regional inventory projects will improve data compatibility in the future if they encourage use of these guidelines by others during design and collection of inventory data.

Recommendations
The following 15 recommendations aim to progress development of a standard approach.

1. Review existing vegetation grouping approaches and develop and/or adopt a set of vegetation groups that can be used at a range of levels (regional, State, national).
2. Where forest type descriptions (such as the Broad Vegetation Groups used in Queensland) are used, that these be allotted appropriate categories within the standardised set of vegetation groups defined in Recommendation 1 above.
3. Develop a set of standardised terms to describe forest management practices currently applied such that data can be amalgamated from a local to a regional to a national level.
4. Where terms have previously been used to describe management practices, that these be interpreted and fitted to the terms adopted in Recommendation 3 as appropriate.
5. A standard set of classifications be developed and adopted for all elements of mapping themes across GIS systems. The GEODATA Topographic 250 000 series provides a strong base and could be used as a model.
6. Where data are obtained from organisations that have different approaches to classification that  a set of ‘conversion equivalents’ be developed to allow these data to be used but to also allow the data to be amalgamated at the regional or national level.
7. Where GPS units are used to collect data, a standard approach to collection of raw data needs to be prepared as this will greatly assist in providing a uniform approach that will allow subsequent data aggregation.
8. Locational software packages provide a simple and low-cost tool for navigation by combining the information available on a topographical map and the locational detail from a GPS. It is recommended that a simple document (compact disc based) be prepared demonstrating the availability and use of locational software and the use in private forest inventory.
9. Develop a set of standardised descriptions to allow freehold land to be grouped into units where legal status or management intent is likely to be similar.
10. Given the wide range of uses for aerial photography, it is recommended that the preferred scale for large-scale photography for forest inventory be agreed.
11. Prepare a technical guide outlining the range of satellite imagery available, access, cost and derived products that could be of assistance (such as SLATS, NPP); specifying standards seems inappropriate given the rapidly changing nature of the tools being developed in this field.
12. All reports generated as a result of an integrated approach to private native forest assessment should specify the log specifications applied in that region, including species, size (length and diameter), straightness and internal defect.
13. Develop a set of standards for GIS systems that will ultimately be used to generate maps; these standards extend from standard data file names, standard mandatory field names and formats through to standardised templates for map production.
14. Develop a set of protocols such that data to be submitted to a national database on private native forests conform to a set of agreed standards. These data should be available to the general public for interrogation. The platform used by the Australian Greenhouse Office National Carbon Accounting Toolbox may be suitable for this purpose.
15. Develop a standard report ‘template’, together with appropriate notes, to provide some level of consistency in reporting.

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Last updated: May 2007
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