The Tasmanian Vegetation Monitoring and Mapping Program (TVMMP) vegetation monitoring activities are guided by the
Native Vegetation Monitoring Strategy which sets out the long term approach to developing DPIPWE's native vegetation monitoring programs.
Please see the following sections for information and tools developed by the TVMMP that relate to the assessment of native vegetation condition in Tasmania.
A Manual for Assessing Vegetation Condition in Tasmania
This manual provides a step by step guide for the assessment of vegetation condition. The TASVEG Vegetation Condition Assessment (VCA) method has been adapted from a Victorian approach and refined to suit Tasmanian's unique vegetation communities.
The TASVEG VCA method should be undertaken using the TASVEG Vegetation Condition Assessment forms with reference to the TASVEG Vegetation Community Benchmarks.
A Manual for Assessing Vegetation Condition in Tasmania (1.78 MB)
TASVEG Vegetation Condition Assessment Forms
Vegetation condition assessments are carried out using the TASVEG vegetation condition assessment forms. These forms will enable you to record information about the condition of native vegetation in the assessment zone. Refer to the above 'Manual for Assessing Vegetation Condition in Tasmania' for step-by-step instructions on how to use the forms. A quick reference guide to conducting assessments for forest and non-forest vegetation is provided in Appendix 3 of the Manual. There are two forms: one for forest vegetation and another for non-forest vegetation.
Vegetation Condition Assessment Form: Forest Vegetation (125 KB)
Vegetation Condition Assessment Form: Non-Forest Vegetation (110 KB)
TASVEG Vegetation Community Benchmarks
The TASVEG VCA method requires a reference point or 'benchmark' so that the vegetation condition at specific sites can be assessed. Components of the vegetation at a site are scored against the benchmark to arrive at a condition value. A TASVEG vegetation community benchmark is the vegetation condition assessment reference point relevant to the vegetation community that is being assessed.
In Tasmania, the benchmarks used for vegetation condition assessments relate to the vegetation communities described and mapped in the
TASVEG statewide mapping program or, in some cases, identifiable variants or facies within them. Each TASVEG vegetation community benchmark contains the benchmark characteristics for that vegetation community and other information necessary for conducting a vegetation condition assessment (please note that not all TASVEG communities are benchmarked). The TASVEG vegetation community benchmarks have been divided into nine groups that reflect the broad vegetation categories. Click on the links below to download a copy of the relevant TASVEG community benchmarks.
Users should note that the current catalogue of available vegetation community benchmarks was revised in December 2016 to align with the most recent updates to the TASVEG vegetation community codes and with development of the
Natural Values Atlas (NVA) for entry and storage of VCA data. Since the last release of the benchmarks, eighteen new benchmarks have been developed for previously unbenchmarked TASVEG communities. Sixteen of these are flagged as appropriate for assessing the condition of all or part of a number of threatened vegetation communities (Schedule 3A
Nature Conservation Act 2002). You may also notice that those benchmarks previously including more than one set of benchmark values (e.g. dry eucalypt benchmarks incorporating benchmarks for both forest and woodland vegetation) have now been separated into individual documents. The layout and appearance of the benchmark documents has also changed since the previous benchmark release. As a result of these changes users are encouraged to always download and apply the most recent version of the relevant community benchmark. There will be some discrepancy in layout and appearance for the example benchmarks referred to in the current Manual for Assessing Vegetation Condition in Tasmania, however this document is undergoing revision to reflect the new technology available within the NVA, and to align with current benchmark format.