GRID MATCHING - A NEW METHOD FOR HOMOCLIME ANALYSIS

A method to assist species introduction is described. The technique compares long-term mean climatic conditions at a target location with conditions at sites in a regular grid. To illustrate the method, a location in Africa and a location in South America are compared with 2795 sites in a half-degree latitude-longitude grid across Australia. The results of trials of Australian tree species and provenances at these two locations are compared with the results of the climatic analyses. It is concluded that the identification of locations with similar climates, using the grid matching method, could assist the choice of species and provenances for trial at other target sites.