A monitoring protocol for assessing plant diversity on small private woodlots in Southern Ontario under the OWA Forestry Cooperative Pilot Project

Abstract

This capstone project report describes the development of an adapted protocol for assessing and monitoring plant diversity in Southern Ontario. In Southern Ontario, old unmanaged private conifer plantations are gaining attention and are beginning to be thinned to create conditions for the regeneration of native hardwood forests. The Ontario Woodlot Association, the sponsor of the Forestry Cooperative Pilot Project, wanted to explore a rapid and effective sampling method that could be used by landowners to generate monitoring feedback. The adapted method is developed based on a methodology that adapts the Vegetation Sampling Protocol for easy implementation and increased efficiency for surveyors with different backgrounds. Preliminary results show that the protocol can provide a rough estimate of biodiversity distribution patterns and trend for on-going use. The protocol will be further refined in the future through testing at additional sites.