Stomping out Sediment in the Burdekin Final Report | Page 32

Technique

Tabletop Brood mare

Tabletop black soil

Terry Creek

Strathalbyn alluvial

Strathalbyn black soil

Tabletop Saddleback

5 Mile

Glenalpine

Strathalbyn Dunns

Sutherland

Hellsgate

Johnny cake

DAF Stocktake

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DAF was contracted to monitor the land condition response on some initial project sites and to contribute to training and extension events .

Through principal researcher , Paul Jones , an experimental monitoring protocol was developed and implemented on three properties , focused on two major soil types . DAF Animal Ethics Committee approval was obtained for two properties .

The two soil types included in the monitoring program were sodic duplex and self-mulching black cracking clay which are prevalent on , respectively , the ‘ narrow-leaved ironbark on deeper soils ’ and ‘ clayey alluvials ’ land types . Within each site , the monitored plots were one hectare and included gully contributing sub-catchments .

Gully rehabilitation treatments were monitored at two sites on Tabletop Station ( Brood mare and black soil sites ) and Strathalbyn Station ( black soil site ), with reference sites established at Mt . Pleasant Station , Bowen . Data from the analogue sites provides a reference point for the project sites in terms of pasture yield and composition , and soil surface condition .

Pasture parameters and land condition ( Botanal and PATCHKEY ) were recorded on a grid across each plot . The sampling grid was pre-determined with mapping software and observations made at the same location each sampling . Botanal started in spring 2017 at Tabletop and Mt . Pleasant ,