There are four themes within BERA: Vegetation, Soils and Ecohydrology, Humans and Wildlife, and Remote Sensing. Each theme addresses one or two strategic priorities that are coupled with one or more tactical deliverables (below). These tactical deliverables are the specific targets for BERA’s models and planning tools.
Each theme dives deeper into the complex systems that give rise to our specific list of associated projects .
BERA Theme | Strategic Priority | Tactical Deliverables | Metrics |
A. Growth & Survival | Growth = Height Increment of Trees (cm) Survival = Percent Alive Seedlings | ||
B. Abundance | Abundance = Density of Trees (#/ha) and Shrubs (% cover) | ||
C. Height | Height = Average Height (m) of Trees/Shrubs | ||
A. CH4 Flux | CH4 flux (g/m2/yr) relative to adjacent reference ecosystem | ||
B. Soil Carbon Stock | C stock (top 1 m upland, full organic soil in lowland) g/m2 | ||
C. Ecosystem C Stock | C stock in soil + biomass (understory + overstory) g/m2 | ||
D. CO2 Emissions | Derived from a change in C stock (g/m2/yr) relative to adjacent reference ecosystem | ||
A. Animal Use | Animal (bird, small mammal) abundance (#/ha) in relation to line width, vegetation and human use/pollutants | ||
B. Human Use | Vehicle use per unit of time | ||
A. Line Conditions
| Physical dimensions, functional recovery status, surface topography, solar irradiance, water-table position, human use | ||
B. Matrix Conditions | Canopy structure, understory structure | ||
C. Edge Conditions | Edge effects | ||
D. Seedling/Sapling Detection | Presence/absence | ||
E. Seedling/Sapling Attribution | Density, height | ||
F. Other vegetation | Height, percent cover |