Development and testing of seed-crop assessment models for three lowland forest eucalypts in East Gippsland, Victoria

Summary

A technique developed for assessing seed crops in Eucalyptus regnans regrowth in Central Gippsland, Victoria, south-eastern Australia, has been adapted for use with three Lowland Sclerophyll Forest eucalypts from East Gippsland: E. sieberi, E. globoidea and E. baxteri. The technique was tested in the field by comparing the number of capsules assessed on two test trees of each species with the actual number of capsules counted on them, and by comparing the quantity of seed assessed on seedtrees retained in two harvested coupes with the subsequent seedfall from those trees. The results indicate that the technique can be used to assess seed crops on a stand basis with sufficient accuracy for field research purposes, although the assessment of individual trees is likely to be less precise.

Keywords:

• seed crops
• assessment
• models
• prediction
• surveys
• sampling
• Eucalyptus sieberi
• Eucalyptus globoidea
• Eucalyptus baxteri