Reduced canopy cover

Impact

Canopy cover refers to vegetation that grows taller than ground cover, i.e. tree branches and leaves, that provides cover to the area of ground that lies directly beneath the plant’s foliage.  The condition of the canopy cover has implications for flora and fauna habitat, ecological processes and soil condition.

Suggested indicators: Tree canopy cover & health⁺, Shrub cover⁺

Reduced canopy cover may lead to:

Potential associated impacts	Suggested indicators+
Changed vegetation condition and composition due to change in sunlight and soil conditions	Native vegetation area Vegetation density Impacts on native vegetation Ground cover Shrub cover Tree canopy cover & health Weed cover Organic litter Native plant richness  Weed species Pasture species
Change in animal species compostion	Native land fauna Exotic pest fauna Fish Aquatic macro-invertebrates River & wetland fauna
Habitat fragmentation	Native vegetation area
Reduced quality and quantity of soil organic matter	Soil life

⁺ Descriptions of indicators (PDF, 76K)* provides a brief description of each indicator including techniques and purpose.

* Requires Adobe Reader

Last updated 7 September 2010

Land Manager's Monitoring Guide

• Monitoring overview
• Selecting indicators
• - Enterprise or production systems
• - Land practices
• - Management activity
• - Impact
• Indicators