Vegetation Stories: hands-on NVIS vegetation classification.
Workshop Convenors: Jeremy Groves (DCCEEW), Donna Lewis (TERN), Sarah Maunsell (DCCEEW)
High-quality vegetation science begins with high-quality field data. This practical field workshop introduces participants to the core vegetation attributes required to describe and classify vegetation using the methods outlined in the vegetation chapter of Australian Vegetation (Yellow Book, 4th Edition; Lewis et al. 2024) and the National Vegetation Information System (NVIS) Classification Framework.
Hosted at the TERN Samford site, participants will work through a guided field exercise using practical resources and an activity sheet to collect the key structural and floristic attributes used to describe vegetation. Following the field component, participants will compare and discuss their observations, examine sources of observer variation and explore how consistent application of standardised methods improves the quality, repeatability, and comparability of vegetation data.
The workshop will demonstrate how standardised field data underpin vegetation classification and have far-reaching implications for ecological monitoring, mapping, long-term change detection, data integration and large-scale analyses. Participants will gain practical experience in applying nationally recognised standards while developing an appreciation of how robust field observations support research, management, and policy.
This workshop complements the symposium Drivers of Australian Vegetation Composition and Function: Data to Applications by focusing on the collection of the standardised field data that underpin Australia’s vegetation data infrastructure. Participants are encouraged to attend both sessions to gain an end-to-end perspective, from collecting high-quality vegetation data in the field to its application in ecological research, conservation, land management, and policy.
This workshop is a field-based workshop and requires you to wear PPE appropriate to working outside in potentially hot conditions.
You should bring at a minimum: a hat, enclosed sturdy shoes, long sleeved shirt and long pants, plus a refillable water bottle. Facilities for refilling your bottle are available onsite.
We will also be catching a bus on the Wednesday afternoon at approximately 1.15pm, please arrive promptly to the meeting place and take any motion sickness medication prior, as the trip has steep and winding sections.
Transport to the site, light refreshments and afternoon tea included in the ticket price.