Scope of this monitoring tool
This monitoring tool provides all planters of natives with an easy method for recording early survival and growth on an annual basis for only the first 1-5 years after planting. It is expected most sites will either be forming a canopy dominated by natives within 5 years of planting without further management or monitoring required. Some sites may only require 1 or 2 years of monitoring before it becomes obvious that the site is on its way to becoming successfully establish in native cover.
Long-term monitoring
For those interested in monitoring changes longer term, there are a range of long-term monitoring options for users to consider, which is outside the scope of this guide. Refer to the Tāne’s Tree Trust website if you require further information on long-term monitoring. To contact us please email [Enable JavaScript to view protected content].
Selecting the right monitoring method for you
There are two methods of monitoring depending on the scale of planting:
- Walk-through method – This is the minimum requirement for all planters to monitor their native plantings that can be easily undertaken by landowners, iwi, schools and community groups. It allows for a rapid estimate of early survival and performance based on a walk-through assessment that can be carried out periodically for 2-5 years after planting depending on how quickly a near full canopy cover of natives occurs.
- Plot-based method – This is an advanced and more scientifically robust monitoring method designed for the larger organisational planters such as councils, environmental NGOs and research entities who are involved in planting large numbers of natives.. It is a plot-based method designed to systematically sample across large planting sites to provide quantitative data on early performance that can be statistically analysed. While it is still a relatively rapid assessment tool it’s more time consuming, more demanding to learn, and requires additional equipment compared to the walk-through method.
Most planters select the walk-through method of monitoring. Those organisations keen to undertake the plot-based method are required to [Enable JavaScript to view protected content] to discuss their monitoring plans to access this method.
Walk-through monitoring steps
Users are to follow these steps:
- Registration: register as a user to gain access to the Tāne’s Tree Trust Monitoring Tool for planted natives.
Register for walk-through monitoring - Site information: complete a Site Information Sheet to record site and planting information including species, date of planting, spacing, location of your planting site on a map, etc. More information…
- Photographs: take a photographic record of your planting. More information…
- Walk-through survey: walk through a representative part of the planting site at preferably 6–12-month intervals after planting, estimating survival based on original planting density and estimating average plant height as a measure of growth. More information…
- Data entry and reports: complete online data entry from your Site Information Sheets and Survey Sheets, upload photographs, and view reports/charts derived from the entered data. More information…