A potential network of permanent forest plots for the West Coast Conservancy

Permanent plots in indigenous forests administered by the Department of Conservation's West Coast Conservancy in the National Vegetation Survey (NVS) database were analysed to show which forest types were adequately sampled according to identifiable forest types, and within each type, in space and in time. From 404 permanent forest plots considered in analysis, eight forest types were determined, of which only one (southern rata kamahi Hall's totara) is adequately represented in total number of plots and in measurements over time. Even this type is inadequately represented in space. Permanent plot coverage in Westland is overall very patchy, with the Whitcombe Ecological District having more than half the total number of permanent forest plots. There are no permanent forest plots in the NVS database in most Ecological Districts in the West Coast Conservancy, and coverage of major protected natural areas is often either scant (e.g., in Paparoa National Park), or absent entirely (the West Coast Conservancy parts of Kahurangi National Park). This report recommends a network of 287 plots to be retained for long-term monitoring of forest condition and trend. Good long-term data sets exist from some plots (3 and rarely 4 measurements), and these plots should be accorded high priority for ongoing measurement. However, given the patchy coverage of plots, it is strongly recommended that other sources of permanent plot data outside NVS (e.g., from Crown Research Institutes and Universities) and from other administrators of indigenous forests (especially Timberlands West Coast Limited) be integrated with NVS plots so that a more complete and widespread assessment of forests can be obtained.