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Forest soils information is critical to forest management for maximising site specific productivity and minimising forest operation impacts. There is currently limited detailed soils information available for the effective management of the heterogeneous forest estate, signalling a clear need to develop methods for predicting forest soil properties over a range of scales. The aim of this research project is to develop a methodology to derive spatial soil models that will predict key soil properties influencing plantation forest management. Such a method will improve the ability to minimise environmental damage while working in forest environments and improve prediction and forecasting for strategic and operational planning.
Study sites will be three distinct geomorphic forest landscapes in the southern Hume region of NSW: Carabost, Buccleuch, and Bago State Forests. The spatial soil models will be developed using a combination of already available environmental coverages of the study areas derived from digital elevation models (DEMs), terrain analysis, digital climatic surfaces, gamma radiometric remote sensing, and multi-spectral remote sensing. Phase 1 of the project will involve statistical correlation of variables to detect trends.
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