Spherical densiometers produce biased estimates of forest canopy cover

We assessed suitability of convex and concave densiometers for measuring forest canopy cover in uneven-aged mature and selectively harvested grand fir-western larch (Abies grandis-Larix occidentalis) forests in northeast Oregon. Cover estimates from both instruments were similar, overestimated cover...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Wildlife Society bulletin 1995, Vol.23 (4), p.711-717
Main Authors: Cook, J.G. (Forestry and Range Science Laboratory, La Grande, OR.), Stutzman, T.W, Bowers, C.W, Brenner, K.A, Irwin, L.L
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
ABIES GRANDIS
ACCURACY
ALTURA
BOSQUES
CANOPY
COUVERT
CUBIERTA DE COPAS
DENSITOMETERS
Elks
ENCUESTAS
ENQUETE
ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT
Estimate reliability
ESTIMATION
Estimation bias
Fisheries management
Forest canopy
Forest cover
Forest habitats
FORESTS
FORET
HAUTEUR
HEIGHT
INSTRUMENT DE MESURE
INSTRUMENTOS DE MEDICION
LARIX OCCIDENTALIS
MEASURING INSTRUMENTS
Old growth forests
OREGON
SURVEYS
Techniques
Wildlife conservation
Wildlife habitats
Wildlife management
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Summary:We assessed suitability of convex and concave densiometers for measuring forest canopy cover in uneven-aged mature and selectively harvested grand fir-western larch (Abies grandis-Larix occidentalis) forests in northeast Oregon. Cover estimates from both instruments were similar, overestimated cover substantially, and were insensitive to substantial variations in forest cover. Spherical densiometers are not suitable for estimating forest cover for most applications in forest ecology and management. Precision of instruments with minimal bias, however, is relatively low. Workers should plan for greater sample sizes to achieve adequate precision if unbiased instruments or techniques are used to measure canopy cover.
ISSN:0091-7648
1938-5463