Woodland Restoration Plot Network: Bird Survey Data (Winter), Western Sydney Parklands (Western Sydney Regional Park), Australia, 2014

Abstract: The Woodland Restoration Plot Network Winter Bird Survey Data Package contains bird point count survey data for thirty 0.1 hectare sites which were established on retired farmland that includes a mosaic of restored vegetation (native plantings) of varying ages juxtaposed with patches of remnant vegetation and untreated, abandoned pasture. All sites were originally woodland prior to agricultural development about 200 years ago.

The Woodland Restoration Plot Network research plots commenced in 1992 and have been revisited every 3-4 years since 2001. A synopsis of related data packages which have been collected as part of the Woodland Restoration Plot Network’s full program is provided at https://doi.org/10.25911/5c36e5688ff89.

Greening Australia, pers. comm.). All sites were slashed and sprayed with glyphosate before planting was undertaken. Twenty-six indigenous trees and shrub species, propagated to tubestock from local seed sources, were planted mechanically in rows after the pasture began to break down. The mix of planted species varied across the landscape, the aim being to match species with soils and topographic positions occupied by their wild populations. All plants were weed matted with a recycled paper disc and surrounded by a protective plastic sleeve. Maintenance sprays of glyphosate were applied in spring and autumn for two-three years after planting to reduce competition from weeds in the vicinity of plants. To reduce the risk of fire, mechanical slashing was carried out amongst the plantings and hazard reduction fires were lit in areas surrounding plantings at approximately annual intervals. Since the late 1990s, cattle have been reintroduced into the southern areas of plantings, but fencing has been constructed to exclude livestock from some restoration areas and remnants (D. Williams, Greening Australia, pers. comm.). Cattle continue to be excluded from the northern areas of plantings.

The study landscape therefore comprises a mosaic of patches including untreated pastures, remnant woodlands with various histories of past disturbance and a chronosequence of restoration plantings with dates of origin from 1992 to 2002.

The aims of the study design were to sample management treatments (untreated pasture, the chronosequence of restored vegetation and remnant woodland) across four primary locations (Hoxton Park, Plough and Harrow Property, Western Sydney Regional Park and Prospect Reservoir). A fully randomised orthogonal sampling design was not possible because all management treatments were not represented at each of the four primary locations. Sample sites representing different management treatments were therefore situated haphazardly within patches, to sample areas with similar topography (upper and mid slopes) to minimise environmental variation that may potentially confound management effects. The first set of vegetation surveys were carried out in 2001 (25 sites), with repeat surveys of new haphazardly selected sites to sample the same patch types in 2004 (54 sites), 2009 (24 sites) and 2012 (30 sites). The total number of sites varied between surveys depending on available resources, but the proportional stratification among patch types and ages remained the same. Invertebrates were sampled in late 2002 and 2009. Soils were sampled in 2010 by collaborators at UWS. A survey of avifauna commenced in 2013.

Study extent: The study site is located on retired farmland that includes a mosaic of restored vegetation (native plantings) of varying ages juxtaposed with patches of remnant vegetation and untreated, abandoned pasture. During their period of pastoral management (prior to 1990), the sites have been grazed by cattle, fertilised and planted with exotic pasture grasses, particularly Phalaris species. All sites were originally woodland prior to agricultural development about 200 years ago. Restoration projects commenced in the area in 1992 with a stated goal of ‘re-establishment of native vegetation’ (Perkins 1997). The restoration plantings were carried out in a pattern designed to connect remnant patches of woodland, which were also the primary sources of seed for tubestock. To evaluate success against the above goal, we therefore identified the remnants as suitable reference sites to which the restored sites were expected to increase their resemblance in composition and structure over time. Disturbance resulting from past agricultural practices in the area have impacted upon remnant patches to varying degrees, but these were the best available examples of native woodland in the region. Untreated pasture is defined as a control, from which restored sites are expected to become increasingly dissimilar in species composition and vegetation structure with time.

The Woodland Restoration Plot Network research plots commenced in 1992 and have been revisited every 3-4 years since 2001.

Project fundingSince 2012 this project has been part of the Long Term Ecological Research Network (LTERN). This work was supported by the Australian Government’s Terrestrial Ecosystems Research Network (www.tern.org.au) – an Australian research infrastructure facility established under the National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy and Education Infrastructure Fund–Super Science Initiative through the Department of Industry, Innovation, Science, Research and Tertiary Education.Project nameWoodland Restoration Plot Network

摘要：本林地恢复样地网络冬季鸟类调查数据包包含30个0.1公顷样地的鸟类点计数调查（bird point count survey）数据。这些样地设立于撂荒地之上，该区域包含不同林龄的恢复植被（native plantings，本土种植群落）、残存植被斑块与未处理的废弃牧场镶嵌分布。所有样地在约200年前的农业开发前均为原生林地。
林地恢复样地网络的研究样地始于1992年，自2001年起每3-4年进行一次重访。作为林地恢复样地网络完整项目的一部分收集的相关数据包概要，可通过https://doi.org/10.25911/5c36e5688ff89获取。
（绿化澳大利亚（Greening Australia），私人通信（pers. comm.））。所有样地在种植前均经过机械割除并喷施草甘膦（glyphosate）。在牧场开始退化后，研究人员采用机械方式按行种植了26种本土乔灌木物种，这些苗木均由当地种源繁育得到的容器苗（tubestock）。种植物种的组合因场地而异，目标是使所选物种匹配其野生种群所适应的土壤与地形位置。所有植株均覆盖再生纸圆盘以抑制杂草，并辅以保护性塑料套筒包裹。种植后的2-3年内，于春秋两季喷施草甘膦进行维护，以降低植株周边杂草的竞争压力。为降低火灾风险，在种植区域内开展机械割除，并大约每年在种植区周边实施防火烧除作业。自20世纪90年代末起，牛群被重新引入种植区南部，但已修建围栏以阻挡牲畜进入部分恢复区域与残存植被斑块（D. Williams、绿化澳大利亚（Greening Australia），私人通信（pers. comm.））。种植区北部仍持续禁止牲畜进入。
因此，本研究区域由多种斑块镶嵌组成：未处理牧场、具有不同历史干扰记录的残存林地，以及恢复植被时间序列样带（chronosequence），其起源时间介于1992年至2002年。
本研究设计的目标是在4个主要样点区域（霍克斯顿公园（Hoxton Park）、犁与剑地产（Plough and Harrow Property）、悉尼西部区域公园（Western Sydney Regional Park）以及前景水库（Prospect Reservoir））内对管理处理样地（未处理牧场、恢复植被时间序列样带与残存林地）进行采样。由于4个主要区域并非均覆盖所有管理处理样地类型，因此无法采用完全随机正交采样设计。代表不同管理处理类型的采样样地被随机布设至对应斑块内，且优先选择地形相似的区域（上坡与中坡），以尽可能降低可能混淆管理效应的环境变异。首轮植被调查于2001年开展（25个样地），随后分别于2004年（54个样地）、2009年（24个样地）与2012年（30个样地）对新随机选取的样地进行重访，以覆盖相同的斑块类型。各次调查的样地总数因可用资源而异，但斑块类型与林龄的分层比例始终保持一致。无脊椎动物采样分别于2002年末与2009年开展。土壤采样于2010年由西悉尼大学（University of Western Sydney, UWS）的合作团队完成。鸟类区系调查始于2013年。
研究范围：本研究样地位于撂荒地之上，该区域包含不同林龄的恢复植被（native plantings，本土种植群落）、残存植被斑块与未处理的废弃牧场镶嵌分布。在1990年前的牧场管理阶段，样地曾被牛群放牧、施加肥料并种植外来牧草，尤其是虉草属（Phalaris）物种。所有样地在约200年前的农业开发前均为原生林地。该区域的恢复项目始于1992年，既定目标为“重建本土植被”（Perkins, 1997）。恢复种植工作以连通残存林地斑块为布局原则，这些残存斑块同时也是容器苗（tubestock）繁育的主要种源地。为对照上述目标评估恢复成效，研究将残存斑块设为适宜的参照样地，预期恢复样地的群落组成与结构将随时间推移逐渐趋近于参照样地。过往农业活动造成的干扰对各残存斑块的影响程度不一，但它们仍是该区域现存最优质的本土林地样本。未处理牧场被设为对照样地，预期恢复样地的物种组成与植被结构将随时间推移与该对照样地的差异逐渐增大。
林地恢复样地网络的研究样地始于1992年，自2001年起每3-4年进行一次重访。
项目资助：自2012年起，本项目隶属于长期生态研究网络（Long Term Ecological Research Network, LTERN）。本研究得到澳大利亚政府陆地生态系统研究网络（www.tern.org.au）的资助——该网络是根据《国家协作研究基础设施战略》与《教育基础设施基金-超级科学计划》设立的澳大利亚研究基础设施设施，资助主体为工业、创新、科学、研究与高等教育部。
项目名称：林地恢复样地网络（Woodland Restoration Plot Network）