Victorian Tall Eucalypt Forest Plot Network (Victorian Central Highlands Monitoring Project): Tree Fern Growth Study, Victoria, Australia, 2016

• Other Authors: Mrs Elke Dawson (hasAssociationWith), Professor David Lindenmayer (hasAssociationWith)
• Format: Dataset
• Language: unknown
• Published: The Australian National University
• Subjects: ECOLOGY; BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES; PLANT BIOLOGY; GCMD:Earth science. Biosphere. Vegetation. Plant characteristics; LTERN Monitoring Theme:Vegetation structure; LTERN Monitoring Theme:Individual plants; LTERN Monitoring Theme:Fire; keyword:Tree ferns; Dicksonia antarctica; Cyathea australis; growth rates; Victorian Tall Eucalypt Forest; Victorian Central Highlands Monitoring Project; Fern Growth Study; Blair; Blanchard; Antarc*; Antarctica
• Online Access: https://researchdata.edu.au/victorian-tall-eucalypt-australia-2016/1360765; https://datacommons.anu.edu.au/DataCommons/item/anudc:5821; https://doi.org/10.25911/5c453244f4079; https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0176908; http://hdl.handle.net/1885/130861

We measured 5 years of growth of 335 Cyathea australis and Dicksonia antarctica after a large wildfire in 2009 in south-eastern Australia. The ferns were in 4 separate geographic locations (Wallaby Creek, Marysville, Toolangi and O’Shannassy) and sites within each area had different environmental variables, which were measured (slope, aspect, elevation). Tree ferns had overall height measured using a tape measure and the new post-fire growth measured using calipers. The tree ferns were measured to determine average growth rates of the two species and which of the environmental variables were important for fern growth. We found growth rates of these two species were largely unaffected by static environmental variables or geographic location. However, growth rates were significantly related to initial height at the time of the fire; a finding consistent in both species and all geographic locations. These data underpinned the conclusions and analysis in the paper "Non-linear growth in tree ferns, Dicksonia antarctica and Cyathea australis" by David P. Blair, Wade Blanchard, Sam C. Banks, David B. Lindenmayer published in PLOS ONE (https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0176908). Sampling method: Sites were selected in areas where high severity fire had occurred and sufficient tree ferns were present. This was taken from fire maps, EVC maps and local knowledge. Study extent: Vegetation sampling done between February and April. Project funding: Australian Research Council; Victorian Dept of Environment, Land, Water and Planning; Parks Victoria; Long Term Ecological Research Network within the Terrestrial Ecosystem Research Network between 2012 and 2018.