This dataset provides understorey herbaceous biomass, ground cover and overstorey woody cover response to different fire regimes over a twenty year period at a grassland and open woodland in the tropical savannas of northern Australia. BOTANAL was used to assess understorey herbaceous biomass. Woody canopy cover was derived from digital analysis of oblique aerial imagery taken from a helicopter at the site in 1995 and again in 2013. Woody cover (tree basal area and canopy cover) was also assessed using a bitterlich gauge on BOTANAL ground based transects in 2009. The data could be used to calibrate models of herbaceous growth and woody cover change in response to long term fire. It may be useful for assessing climate change impacts on aboveground carbon sequestration. The fire regimes tested were of varying frequency (every 2, 4 and 6 years) and season (June vs. October) of fire compared to unburnt controls on woody cover and pasture composition. Sites were open to grazing by cattle.

<p>The dataset comprises well-designed survey data from the first fuel load survey across 192 transects within the 48 AusPlots Forests, 1-ha monitoring plots across Australia. Data includes: [1] Site identifiers (ID and Site Name) and site- or transect- specific notes from the fuel survey campaign; [2] Transect survey dates; [3] Transect photograph numbers and attributes (Bearing, Slope and Aspect); [4] Fuel measurements (Grass and Litter height; Duff depth; Fine Woody fuel counts and Coarse Woody fuel counts and diameter; Projective cover for biomass components (Grass, Litter, Herbs, Vines and Shrubs), and Mass of biomass components (Grass, Litter, Herbs and Vines)); [5] Moisture content for biomass components (Grass, Litter, Herbs and Vines).</p> Descriptions of the data and coding protocols used in the database are explained in (a) the database itself; (b) the explanatory file attached to this dataset and (c) the Ausplots Forest Monitoring Network Manual. The protocols and coding used in this module are drawn directly from international forest fuel survey protocols and are consistent with other Australian forest fuel inventory methodologies.

The forest fuel survey dataset comprises site-level summary data from the well-designed fuel load surveys across 48 AusPlots Forests- 1-ha monitoring plots across Australia. Data presented here includes: [1] Site identifiers (ID and Site Name) and site location and site-specific notes from fuel survey campaign; [2] site survey dates (start date and end date); [3] Site climatic information (air temperature and relative humidity); [4] Average height of plants and the stem densities in those sites; [5] Fuel bed biomass measurements that include live or dead grass, shrub, vines cover; [6] Litter, Fine Woody and Coarse Woody Debris stocks and production; [7] Soil Nutrient concentration (Soil Carbon, Soil Hydrogen and Soil Nitrogen contents); [8] Duff depth and cover.