Ground-based visual assessment of crown condition is a cornerstone of tree condition assessment globally, and numerous condition assessment approaches have evolved to address the needs and perspectives of different users. In Australia’s iconic Murray–Darling Basin (MDB), stands of floodplain eucalypts are increasingly vulnerable to a range of interacting stressors related to climate change and over-extraction of water for consumptive and agricultural use. A standardised approach developed in 2008 for assessing floodplain trees within the MDB provides extensive guidance to ensure field data is collected consistently. However, there is minimal instruction on how to interpret data, and consequently a range of evaluation approaches have evolved. The lack of a standardised reporting framework generated by these different approaches makes it difficult for floodplain managers and environmental water holders to make repeatable, robust decisions for prioritising water allocations across competing locations. To provide improved lines of evidence to support decision making, this paper describes a ‘best-practise’ approach to calculating a tree condition score from field data. Within, we document existing approaches in the southern Murray–Darling Basin, and recommend a method that meets the needs of floodplain managers as a pragmatic reporting, communication and decision support tool that does not require statistical analysis. Case studies and a revised conceptual model of tree decline and recovery are provided to demonstrate the validity of the recommended approach.

中文翻译：

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计算洪泛区树木状况以支持环境浇水决策的标准化方法

全球树冠状况的地面视觉评估是全球树状况评估的基石，并且已经开发出许多条件评估方法来满足不同用户的需求和观点。在澳大利亚标志性的默里-达令盆地（MDB）中，洪泛区桉树林分越来越容易受到一系列相互作用的压力源的影响，这些压力源与气候变化和用于消费和农业用途的水的过度提取有关。2008年开发的用于评估MDB中洪泛区树木的标准化方法提供了广泛的指导，以确保一致地收集现场数据。但是，关于如何解释数据的指导很少，因此，已经开发了多种评估方法。这些不同方法生成的标准化报告框架的缺乏，使得漫滩平原管理者和环境用水持有者难以做出可重复的，强有力的决策来优先考虑各个竞争地区之间的水资源分配。为了提供更好的证据来支持决策，本文介绍了一种“最佳实践”方法，可根据现场数据计算树木状况评分。在本文中，我们记录了南部墨累达令盆地的现有方法，并推荐了一种满足洪泛区管理者需求的方法，作为一种不需要统计分析的实用的报告，沟通和决策支持工具。提供了案例研究和经过修订的树木下降和恢复的概念模型，以证明推荐方法的有效性。