Monitoring Old Growth in Frequent-fire Landscapes

Abstract

In this article, we discuss how to monitor the structural and functional attributes of old growth, as well as its associated plant communities and wildlife, both to determine the possible need for treatment and to assess post-treatment progress toward desired conditions. Monitoring can be used to detect conditions (or agents) that threaten existing old growth and also to document indicators of healthy, functioning old-growth systems.

Keywords

• disturbance agents
• monitoring
• physiological/functional indicators
• risk assessment
• structural indicators