Euston-Brown, D., Rathogwa, N & Richardson ... - DWA Home Page

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direction of their bases from the peg. A GPS co-ordinate was taken at each peg in 2004 and 2006. Red
spray paint was used to mark trees close to the peg in 2004 and this paint was still visible in 2006. In
2006 danger tape was tied around the peg to make it easier to find, and also to mark the access point
from the road. Four fixed point photographs were taken from a tripod with the camera lens at 125 cm
above the ground in a north, east, south and west direction in 2004 and 2006. Photographs were also
taken from the access road towards the plot with a person standing on the peg in 2004 and 2006. A
photograph was also taken from about 1.5 m above the ground directly down to the peg and by placing
the camera on the ground next to the peg and taking a picture directly upwards. The photograph
numbers were recorded on the data sheets and are provided in the excel spreadsheets submitted with
this report.
The data recorded at each plot was captured on data sheets that are summarised in Annexure 1. Two
circular plots were laid down around the peg. One was a small 1.5 m radius plot where the density
and height of all plants was recorded and the second a larger 10 m radius plot where the diversity of
different growth forms and other information on indigenous and exotic plants was recorded.
Soil samples were also taken from these sites in 2006 by taking three shallow spade fulls of the top 3
cm of soil from three different places in the plot. The soil is stored in brown paper packets in a drying
room in Skukuza. Unfortunately the germination studies planned for the soil samples were not done.
Appendix 1
Permanent plot (peg 57) is located in Swaziland in a riparian habitat
alongside a sugar cane plantation. It was sampled on 17 May 2004. It had no
grass cover, 100 % cover of chromolaena and 75 % cover of lantana. The site
was slashed in November 2004. The copice was then sprayed with glyphosate
before the site was burnt in a very hot fire in October 2005.
The site was resampled on 14 June 2006. The plot had 100 % cover of
Panicum maximum grass, 8 % cover of chromolaena and 5 % cover
of lantana. Other weeds emerging included Tagetes minuta, Solanum
seaforthianum, Ricinus communis, Melia Azedarach.