Project: 2008-02. Report - Assessing biodiversity in indigenous forests – methods for FSC & health
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Date: 2008 Author: N A Martin Publication: Report Project reference: 2008-02 Full report is available from: |
Executive summary:
SummaryThe Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) requires that biodiversity in exotic forests and indigenous forests grown for timber or as indigenous ecosystems, including pockets/remnants of indigenous forest, is assessed. The objective of this Forest Health Research Collaborative umbrella project is, therefore, to identify the requirement for and methods preferred by foresters for assessing biodiversity in indigenous ecosystems including pockets/remnants of indigenous forest.
Two half–day workshops were held – one in Rotorua (19 September) and one in Christchurch (10 October) – and were attended by 11 people from the forestry industry and two researchers from Scion. A questionnaire on monitoring methods developed with the aid of members of the Forest Health Collaborative was completed by 9 people.
The workshop presentations covered:
1. definitions of biodiversity, Forest Stewardship Council requirements and groups of organisms that can be monitored
2. methods that could be used to monitor fungi:
– fruiting bodies and
– plant damage symptoms of pathogens
3. methods that could be used to monitor insects:
– collect and identify insects using the BioAssist approach
– monitor the presence of insect and mite herbivores using plant damage symptoms.
The workshops generated much useful discussion. The discussion and responses to the questionnaire suggest that an assessment method that combines fungal pathogens and insect and mite herbivores based on using photographs of plant damage is preferred if monitoring of the biodiversity of native forests is extended to include fungi and invertebrates. The method used must be simple, quick and cost effective. The Plant–SyNZTM concept (www.crop.cri.nz/home/plant–synz/index.php) could be adapted to meet these requirements.
Full report is available from:
Crop & Food Research
Private bag 4704
Christchurch
New Zealand
