Forming an effective water management strategy for the Barmah-Millewa Forest is problematic as competing land uses conflict with respect to water allocation. It is desirable to have a method specifically designed for river red gums that can assess tree and canopy health with an aim of determining water requirements. Results from such a system would enable managers to specifically allocate, or not allocate, water to particular portions of the forest as needed for sustainable management. This proposal outlines such a system based on a combined remote sensing-physiological approach. The specific spectral ranges that relate to diagnostic health indicators on the ground are in the process of being identified with an aim to fit custom spectral to an exising airborne video (ABV) system. A scientific experiment has been developed which would use a range of measures to determine health levels of individual trees: spectral reflectance (spectral bands diagnostic of chlorophyll absorption and leaf structure), xylem water pressure potentials, chlorophyll fluorescence, insect herbivory, and soil and groundcover parameters. Successful calibration of spectral reflectance to ground-based parameters will enable the development of an operational system to provide accurate information of forest condition that managers can use for decision-making and subsequent water allocations.
