This document outlines a methodology called VAST-2 (Vegetation Assets States and Transitions) for tracking changes in vegetation condition over time due to land use and management practices. VAST-2 scores 22 indicators of regenerative capacity, vegetation structure, and species composition for a site against a pre-settlement reference state. Case studies applying VAST-2 to sites in Cumberland State Forest in NSW from 1941-2012 are presented. Lessons learned include that VAST-2 is useful for engaging stakeholders, synthesizing information to understand vegetation transformation, and reporting progress towards vegetation targets.

1. Tracking the effects of land use and
management on vegetation condition
Richard Thackway
Presentation to NSW OEH
6 March 2013

2. Outline
• Concepts and definitions
• Background to VAST framework
• Why VAST-2 was developed
• VAST-2 methodology
• Case studies
• Lessons
• Where to here?
• More information

3. Goals of land managers
Intensification
Degradation?
Values and decisions matrix:
• Social
• Economic
• Environmental

4. Goals of land managers
Extensification
Restoration
Values and decisions matrix:
• Social
• Economic
• Environmental

5. Changing ecological function to derive multiple benefits (ecosystem
services)
Regulation of hydrological regime
Generation of food and fibre
Regulation of climate / microclimate
Generation of raw materials
Recycling of organic matter
Creating and regulating habitats
Controlling reproduction and dispersal

6. Drivers for information on changes in
vegetation condition
• NRM policy and program design e.g.
– Implementing guidelines for conservation and management of threatened
species EPBC ACT
– Reporting on the performance of investment e.g. changing LMP to improve
landscape connectivity
– Assessing land acquisitions for the National Reserve System
• Resource condition of native vegetation e.g.
– A measure of sustainable use and management (public & private)
• Monitoring and reporting and improvement e.g.
– National, state & regional reporting e.g. SoE & SOFR
– Reporting 5 yearly outcomes Regional Forest Agreements

7. What is condition and transformation?
• Changes to a plant community caused by landuse
/management
– Structure
– Composition Vegetation condition
– Regenerative capacity
• Transformation = changes to vegetation condition over time
• Condition and transformation are relative to a reference state

8. VAST - A framework for compiling & reporting
vegetation condition
Increasing vegetation modification from unmodified state
0 I II III IV V VI
Naturally Unmodified Modified Transformed Replaced - Replaced - Replaced -
bare Adventive managed removed
Vegetation
thresholds
Condition states Transitions = trend
Reference for Native vegetation Non-native vegetation
each veg type
(NVIS) cover cover
Diagnostic attributes of VAST states:
• Vegetation structure
• Species composition
NVIS
• Regenerative capacity
Thackway & Lesslie (2008) Environmental
Vegetation Assets States and Transitions (VAST) framework Management, 42, 572-90

9. Why VAST-2 was developed?
• To implement the ‘T’ (Transition) of the VAST framework
– i.e. track changes in vegetation condition over time
• To provide a practical tool for understanding and reporting the
status of native vegetation over time
• To propose a standardised national system for compiling data
on cause & effect of management on native plant communities

10. VAST – a snapshot
Thackway & Lesslie (2008) NB: Input dataset biophysical naturalness reclassified using
Environmental Management, 42, 572-90 VAST framework

11. Models of ecosystem change
Reference
Settlement
Change in vegetation indicator
0 1000
Time
Source: Adamson and Fox (1982).

12. Models of ecosystem change
Reference
Anthropogenic change
Change in vegetation indicator
Net impact
Relaxation
Occupation
1800 1850 1900 1950 2000
Time
Based on Hamilton, Brown & Nolan 2008. FWPA PRO7.1050. pg 18
Land use impacts on biodiversity and Life Cycle Analysis

13. Aim of VAST-2
Long Long term
term disturbance
rainfall e.g. wildfire, Reference state
Indigenous cyclones
land
management
Site 1
First
modification
explorers
Degree of
Grazing
Logging Revegetation
Site 2
Cropping
Site 3
Time
VAST
classes

14. VAST-2 System

15. Condition Attribute
Description of loss or gain relative to pre settlement indicator reference state
components groups
(22)
(3) (10)
Fire regime Area /size of fire foot prints
Number of fire starts
Soil hydrology Soil surface water availability
Regenerative capacity
Ground water availability
Soil physical Depth of the A horizon
state Soil structure
Soil nutrient Nutrient stress – rundown (deficiency) relative to soil fertility
state Nutrient stress – excess (toxicity) relative to soil fertility
Soil biological Recyclers responsible for maintaining soil porosity and nutrient recycling
state Surface organic matter, soil crusts
Reproductive Reproductive potential of overstorey structuring species
potential Reproductive potential of understorey structuring species
Overstorey Overstorey top height (mean) of the plant community
Vegetation structure
structure Overstorey foliage projective cover (mean) of the plant community
Overstorey structural diversity (i.e. a diversity of age classes) of the stand
Understorey Understorey top height (mean) of the plant community
structure Understorey ground cover (mean) of the plant community
Understorey structural diversity (i.e. a diversity of age classes) of the plant
Overstorey Densities of overstorey species functional groups
Composition
composition
Species
Relative number of overstorey species (richness) of indigenous to exotic species
Understorey Densities of understorey species functional groups
composition Relative number of understorey species (richness) of indigenous to exotic species

16. General process for tracking changes
VAST-2 system
Transformation site Reference state/sites
Step 1a Step 3a
Use a checklist of 22 indicators to compile Literature review to determine the
changes in LU & LMP* and plant baseline conditions for 22 indicators
community responses over time
Step 2 Step 4 Step 3b
Step 1b Document responses of 22 Document the reference Evaluate the influence of climate, soil
Evaluate the influence of climate, soil and indicators over time states for 22 indicators and landform for the reference site
landform on the historical record
Step 3c
Step 1c Compile indicator data for 22
Evaluate impacts on the plant community indicators for reference site
over time
Step 5
Score all 22 indicators for ‘transformation site’ relative to the
‘reference site’. 0 = major change; 1 = no change
Step 6
Derive weighted indices for the three components for the ‘transformation
site’ i.e. regenerative capacity (58%), vegetation structure (27%) and
species composition (18%) by adding predefined indicators
Step 7
Add the indices for the three components to generate total transformation
index for the ‘transformation site’ for each year of the historical record .
* LU Land use Validate using Expert Knowledge
LMP Land management practices

17. Method: VAST-2
Indicators of VAST diagnostic
attributes
Time
LU = Land Use, LMP = Land Management Practices

18. Method: VAST-2
Year Source LU & LMP Source: Reliability Effects of use and land Source Reliability
Year and LU & LMP of LMP management practices on Effects of effects
reliability sources and structure, composition and spatial
spatial and function accuracy
accuracy
Pre-contact
1800
1840
First contact
Current year
2013
LU = Land Use, LMP = Land Management Practices

19. Scoring impacts of land management
practices
• All management practices are directed at e.g.
– Vegetation/plants, soil, landform, water, animal, air
• Five objectives summarize all vegetation management
– Establish and rehabilitate
– Improve and maintain growth and condition
– Harvest plant products and remove waste and weeds
– Monitor health, vitality and condition
– No activity or interventions
• Combinations of 5 objectives are common (space & time)
• Impacts of LMP are scored for each VAST-2 indicator
relative to indicator’s reference state for each year

20. 1 VAST-2 hierarchy
3
Vegetation
10 Transformation
score
22
Diagnostic
attributes
Regenerative Vegetation Species
Capacity Structure Composition
(55%) (27%) (18%)
Attribute
Reprod
groups
Fire Soil Overstorey Understorey Overstorey Understorey
potent
(3) (3) (2) (2)
(2) (2)
Structure Nutrients Biology Hydrology
(2) (2) (2) (2) Indicators

21. Certainty level standards used to compile
historic record
Certainty Spatial precision Temporal precision Attribute accuracy
level (Scale) (Year of observation) (Land use, land
standards management practices,
effects on condition)
HIGH Reliable direct Reliable direct Reliable direct
"Definite” quantitative data. quantitative data. quantitative data.
Code: 1 Code: 4 Code: 7
MEDIUM Direct (with Direct (with Direct (with
"Probable qualifications) or strong qualifications) or strong qualifications) or strong
" indirect data. indirect data. indirect data.
Code: 2 Code: 5 Code: 8
LOW Limited qualitative and Limited qualitative and Limited qualitative and
"Possible" possibly contradictory possibly contradictory possibly contradictory
observations. More observations. More observations. More
data needed. data needed. data needed.
Code: 3 Code: 6 Code: 9

22. Reliability levels of attribute information
Granularity of Sources of Certainty
information information levels
Coarse Bioregion Low
Sub-bioregion Low
Land system Medium
Fine Land unit Medium
Quadrat or pixel High

23. Case studies VAST-2

24. Cumberland State Forest 1941-2012
Red boundary shows
main compartments
that were cleared as
per the 1943 aerial
photograph. This area
was fully planted out
around 1944 as part
of the arboretum.
Except for regrowth
forests: i.e.
compartments 8a, 9a,
9b and 10b

25. 1941

26. 1943

27. 1951

28. 1978

29. 1982

30. 1984

31. 1999

32. 2011

33. 2012

35. On-ground field survey 2012
Transect 1
Cumberland SF, ex-comp 8b, 9a, 9b.
Regrowth forest

36. On-ground field survey 2012
Transect 2
Cumberland SF, ex-comp 3a, 7a, 7b, 7c.
Repurposed arboretum

37. NSW, SB Bioregion, Cumberland SF, ex-comp 3a, 7a, 7b, 7c
Reference pre-European: Sydney Blue Gum High Forest
VAST
Unmodified
Explorers Commenced Area Cleared & Ceased Area Commenced Commenced
Indigenous
traverse grazing logged for sown to grazing. gazetted as managing area managing
people
the area native building improved Area State Forest, as a future area for
manage the
and site pastures houses pasture for purchased commenced production recreation.
area
selected and fences grazing & as a future planting forest. Weed Weed control.
orchard working arboretum control Arboretum
forest abandoned

38. NSW, SB Bioregion, Cumberland SF, ex-comp 8b, 9a, 9b
Reference pre-European: Sydney Blue Gum High Forest
VAST
Unmodified
Site fenced. Tree cover Trees Ceased Cleared and Commenced Initiated 1st
Indigenous Commenced
Commenced thinned logged for grazing. commenced managing hazard
people grazing cattle
continuous for cattle housing, Purchased & regrowing area reduction
manage the
stocking grazing fences & declared as a forest as a primarily burn
area
with cattle fire wood State forest future forest for
production recreation

39. Resources needed to compile and analyse an
historical record for each site
• Network of collaborators
• Ecologists, academics, land managers, environmental historians,
educators
• Inputs
• Reference state
• Land use
• Land management practices
• Natural events e.g. droughts, fires, floods, cyclones, average rainfall
1900-2012 etc
• Observed interactions e.g. rabbits, sheep and drought
• Observations and quantitative measures of effects
• Include written, oral, artistic, photographic and remote sensing

40. VAST-2 Lessons
• Useful tool for:
• engaging a wide range of collaborators and stakeholders incl:
• ecologists, academics, land managers, environmental historians, educators
because it builds on VAST, which is widely accepted and used
• synthesizing information and ‘telling the story’ of vegetation
transformation since settlement
• reporting ‘telling the story’ progress toward vegetation condition targets
• Understanding resilience of natural ecosystems

41. http://portal.tern.org.au/transformation-of-australias-vegetated-landscapes-cumberland-
state-forest-recommissioned-regrowth-forest-nsw

42. http://aceas-data.science.uq.edu.au/portal/

43. Where to from here?
• Scaling-up to landscape levels
• More sites
• Transfer and adoption

44. Scaling up to landscape levels
Static layers Time series response variables
•first contact by European explorers •rainfall anomaly (post 1900)
•slope & relief derived from 30m DEM •state-wide & national land tenure
•aspect classes derived from 30m DEM •FPC (post 1980s)*
•weathering layer •ground cover (post 1980s)*
•digital atlas of soils+ •NDVI / EVI (post 1980s)*
•pre-European vegetation types (NVIS) •native veg (tree) layers*
•state-wide & national land use
• sheep DSE
• cattle DSE
• cropping
• urban areas
• Plantations
• nature conservation reserves
• indigenous protected areas
•Infrastructure
• railways
• roads
•fire regime (fire area & No. fire starts)*
TERN AusCover* •other
TERN Soils+

45. Landform Pattern and Topographic Position Index. 30 m – DEM SRTM
Nass Valley - ACT

46. Further information
• VAST-2 Handbook and brochure http://www.vasttransformations.com/