This method provides a quick subjective assessment of the success of your planting project by walking through the planting site within a year of planting. It can be used for any plantings, irrespective of scale of planting (although some of the larger planters will likely require the more advanced plot-based method to provide robust data on survival and growth by species).
The walk-through estimate is best done by those who planted the site, or where planting records and photographs taken at the time of planting are available to compare what the site looked like at planting to how it looks at first and subsequent assessments. This level of monitoring requires an estimate of overall survival and height across the planting site.
Field survey
The aim is to take a 5-10 minute walk-through a representative area of the planting site observing the overall survival of the natives that were planted. Based on the original planting density, and observing the frequency and size of gaps between live natives, it should be relatively quick to estimate the proportion of natives that have survived since planting.
The walk-through survey sheet can be downloaded from the website and blank copies printed for the field. The following information is to be recorded:
- Site name – same name as on the site information sheet for this planting site
- Date of walk-through assessment
- Walk-though assessment performed by – list name(s) of participant(s)
- Survival assessment – circle to the nearest 10% a subjective assessment of overall survival across the planting site based on the walk through, e.g., 0%, 10%, 20%, 30%, etc.
- Average height – an estimate of the average overall height of planted natives
- Notes – optional further information such as species with poor performance, possible cause of mortality or plant damage, frost damage, animal browsing, drought, weed suppression.
Remember to take a photograph of the planting site.
Survey equipment
Field equipment required to undertake walk-through monitoring of planted native sites is minimal:
- Map or aerial photograph that shows the planted area and other points of interest e.g. waterways, fences, structures etc to help locate the site and plan a walk-through route
- A measuring stick or a builders tape
- Clipboard
- Fieldsheets printed from monitoring website for Walk-through assessment including:
- Plot information sheet (one per planting site or stratified area of planting)
- Field data sheets (one sheet per planting site)
- Pens and pencils
- Plastic bags to cover paperwork in wet weather and to collect samples of unknown plants for later identification (or take photos)
- Camera with phone for taking photographs of planting site including at any photopoints, and for recording coordinates of the centre of the planting site if required
Monitoring frequency
It is recommended that the first walk-through survey is undertaken within 6 months of planting followed by another at 12 months, and then annually from the second year onwards.
Monitoring can cease when it is highly likely the site will become fully vegetated with at least an 80% proportion of natives achieved. This is expected to be 2-5 years after planting depending on the site, growth rate and planting density.
Recording data
Data can be recorded in the field using the Survey Sheet.