Combined basal area of southern yellow pine species appropriate to the Southern Open Pine Grouping (broad ecosystems used in this document) of the site, primarily longleaf pine or shortleaf pine. The cross section area of longleaf pine, slash pine, South Florida slash pine, shortleaf pine, and/or loblolly pine tree stems (defined here as square feet /acre) for trees inches DBH or greater, and measured using a 10x basal area prism or gauge at four (4) locations near the rapid assessment area center and (optionally) also at the center point of the rapid assessment area, or by measuring each longleaf pine tree 5 inches DBH or greater within the defined area plot or assessment area.

Southern yellow pine, especially longleaf pine (Pinus palustris) and shortleaf pine (Pinus echinata) stand age structure, including the presence of old, flat topped longleaf pine and the presence of large (greater than or equal to either 12” DBH or 14” DBH) southern yellow pines characteristic of the assessed ecosystem.

Southern yellow pine, especially longleaf pine (Pinus palustris) and shortleaf pine (Pinus echinata) stand age structure, including the presence of old, flat topped longleaf pine and the presence of large (greater than or equal to either 12” DBH or 14” DBH) southern yellow pines characteristic of the assessed ecosystem.

Combined basal area of all canopy hardwood trees. The cross section area of hardwood tree stems (defined here as square feet /acre) for canopy trees 5 inches DBH or greater, measured using a 10x basal area prism or gauge at the center point of the plot or rapid assessment area and at four (4) nearby locations, or by measuring the DBH of all hardwood trees 5 inches DBH or greater within an assessment area plot of a defined area.

Percentage of the ground within the plot covered by the general extent of southern yellow pine canopy trees, as determined by visual (ocular) estimate. Southern yellow pine can opy is defined as the canopy trees of longleaf pine, slash pine, South Florida slash pine, shortleaf pine, or loblolly pine with stems 5" diameter or greater at 4.5 feet (54”), diameter at breast height (DBH).

Stand Density Index (SDI) is a measure of tree density which incorporates the size (quadratic mean diameter) and density (trees per acre) of trees in a stand. Trees per acre (TPA) alone is not as useful a measure of stand density since it does not account for differences in tree diameter (Ziede 2005). The tree count must incorporate some measure of tree size to have meaning in forest management. SDI has two significant advantages over basal area (BA): 1) BA varies in equally dense stands (stands of equal BA can have differing amounts of competition for resources since TPA may vary), and 2) BA is not independent of site and age (BA values that indicate a need for thinning vary with stand age and site quality). A primary benefit to SDI is its independence of stand age and site quali ty (Harrington 2001, Ziede 2005).

Midstory Fire Tolerant Hardwood Cover. Percentage of the ground within the plot or assessment area covered by fire tolerant hardwood midstory foliage, branches, and stems as determined by ocular (visual) estimate. Midstory is defined as woody stems (including tall shrubs, small trees, and vines) that are > 10 feet tall, up to the height of the bottom of the tree canopy. Fire tolerant hardwood tree species include turkey oak, sand post oak, bluejack oak, blackjack oak, black oak, post oak, southern red oak, black hickory and flowering dogwood. Individuals that reach canopy size are included in the canopy basal area metrics.

Percentage of the ground within the plot covered by midstory foliage, branches, and stems as determined by ocular (visual) estimate. Spaces between leaves and stems count as cover. Midstory is defined to include any woody stem (including tall shrubs, trees and vines) that are greater than 10 feet tal l, up to the height of the bottom of the tree canopy.

An assessment of cover by shrubs and small broad-leaved trees less than 10 feet tall. Percentage of the ground within the plot covered by the general extent of woody plants including small broad-leaved trees and short shrubs (less than 3 feet tall) and tall shrubs (3-10 feet tall).

An assessment of cover by shrubs and small broad-leaved trees less than 10 feet tall. Percentage of the ground within the plot covered by the general extent of woody plants including small broad-leaved trees and short shrubs (less than 3 feet tall) and tall shrubs (3-10 feet tall).

This metric has two parts, longleaf pine regeneration at the larger stand level and at the smaller rapid assessment locations. Regeneration includes grass stage or saplings <2” DBH (Longleaf Partnership Council 2014). Advance longleaf pine regeneration is present in patches across the stand, these patches make up 5-15% of stand. At rapid assess ment locations, cover of longleaf pine regeneration should be =1% cover (Nordman et al. 2016).

This metric has two parts, longleaf pine regeneration at the larger stand level and at the smaller rapid assessment locations. Regeneration includes grass stage or saplings <2” DBH (Longleaf Partnership Council 2014). Advance longleaf pine regeneration is present in patches across the stand, these patches make up 5-15% of stand. At rapid assessment locations, cover of longleaf pine regeneration should be =1% cover (Nordman et al. 2016).

Percentage cover of all (native) herbaceous species in the ground layer.

Native warm season grass cover may also be called cover of pryrophytic graminoids which include grasses and grass-like plants (sedges etc.). This metric is the percent cover of native warm season grasses and other perennial graminoids that are maintained by periodic fire. These native grasses and grass-like plants (mostly native warm season grasses) are t he natural groundcover in southern open pine stands. Few-flowered beaksedge (Rhynchospora rariflora) is an example of a graminoid, which is difficult to distinguish from wiregrass (Aristida stricta). In Wet Pine Savannas and Flatwoods various graminoids (e.g. Juncus spp., Rhynchospora spp.) other than native warm season grasses are included here and have similar functions. For open longleaf pine woodlands in Florida, these include wiregrass (Aristida stricta, Aristida beyrichiana), pineywoods dropseed (Sporobolus junceus), Florida dropseed (Sporobolus floridanus), Chapman's beaksedge (Rhynchospora chapmanii), cutover muhly (Muhlenbergia capillaris var. trichopodes), toothache grass (Ctenium aromaticum), little bluestem (Schizachyrum scoparium) and Florida toothache grass (Ctenium floridanum). However, switchgrass (Panicum virgatum) and broomsedge (Andropogon virginicus) are not included. Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum) can become so dominant that other grasses, legumes and small bare ground areas are crowded out. Broomsedge (Andropogon virginicus) is excluded, because it is weedy and ruderal, commonly found in old fields, pastures and in recently logged pine stands. Some typical wide ranging southern native warm season grasses of Dry & Mesic Longleaf Pine Woodlands include splitbeard bluestem (Andropogon ternarius), Elliott's bluestem (Andropogon gyrans var. gyrans), pineywoods dropseed (Sporobolus junceus), rough dropseed (Sporobolus clandestinus), little bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium), slender little bluestem (Schizachyrium tenerum), Indiangrass (Sorghastrum nutans), slender Indiangrass (Sorghastrum elliottii), and lopsided Indiangrass (Sorghastrum secundum). In the Wet Longleaf & Slash Pine Flatwoods & Savannas, Carolina wiregrass or pineland threeawn (Aristida stricta) or Southern wiregrass or Beyrich's threeawn (Aristida beyrichiana) often dominates, but toothache grass (Ctenium aromaticum), cutover muhly (Muhlenbergia expansa), little bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium), Florida dropseed (Sp orobolus floridanus), Carolina dropseed (Sporobolus pinetorum), wireleaf dropseed (Sporobolus teretifolius), chalky bluestem (Andropogon capillipes), other bluestems (Andropogon spp.), or other grasses may also dominate. In the Ozarks and Ouachitas (Interior Highlands), native warm season grasses include little bluestem (Schizachyrum scoparium), big bluestem (Andropogon gerardii), Indian grass (Sorghastrum nutans), bearded shorthusk (Brachyelytrum erectum), Elliott’s bluestem (Andropogon gyrans), blackseed speargrass (Piptochaetium avenaceum), composite dropseed (Sporobolus compositus), and other grasses (Blaney et al. 2015, Farrington 2010, Nelson 1985). In open shortleaf pine woodlands in northern Mississippi, native warm season grasses include little bluestem (Schizachyrum scoparium), Bosc’s witchgrass (Dichanthelium boscii) and broomsedge (Andropogon virginicus), but broomsedge is excluded here due to its weediness (Brewer et al. 2015, Maynard and Brewer 2013).

Percent cover of wiregras s (Aristida stricta, or Aristida beyrichiana), and other similar native wiry graminoid plants. Native wiry graminoids are grasses or grass-like plants which have very narrow, wiry leaves. Native wiry graminoid plants include grasses, and beakrushes that resemble wiregrass, and have wiry, rolled, or round in cross section (involute) leaves. Some native wiry graminoids are hairgrass muhly (Muhlenbergia capillaris), southern arrowfeather three-awn grass (Aristida tenuispica), dropseeds (Sporobolus junceus, Sporobolus teretifolius), and beakrushes (Rhynchospora chapmanii, Rhynchospora debilis, Rhynchospora rariflora, Rhynchospora oligantha, Rhynchospora stenophylla, Rhynchospora capillacea, Rhynchospora gracilenta).

Invasive plant presence/distribution. Describes the extent and distribution of invasive exotic plants within or along the perimeter of the polygon; includes only Florida EPPC category I and II listed species <http://www.fleppc.org/list/list.htm> but references are available fo r other states.

TEST