AusPlots-Rangelands will provide training in its data collection methods at a workshop at Renmark and Chowilla in South Australia’s Riverland.
AusPlots-Rangelands coordinator Andrew White said that with the intention to use the AusPlots survey methodology at the TERN Supersite known as Chowilla the facility has an opportunity to introduce and implement its methodology as part of the data collection at the site.
The training is open to anyone who is interested, but will be limited to the first 40 people who register to attend — so be sure to book early. Participants must make their own travel arrangements, with bunkhouse accommodation available on site for a $25 a person a night.
The workshop will be held from 5 to 9 December.
Day 1 will be a series of lectures and background information at the McCormick Centre in Renmark. Days 2–5 will comprise practical demonstrations of each section of the method at Chowilla.
Both sections are necessary to fully understand the method.
The training will cover these topics: trip planning including site selection, layout and positioning; vegetation structural summary; point intercept method; measuring Leaf Area Index; basal wedge use; plant vouchering; vegetation genetic sampling; soil sampling including bulk densities and soil metagenomic sampling; photo panoramas; and use of the AusPlots field data collection application for PDAs or tablets.
