A flexible, multipurpose method for recording vegetation composition and structure

• Published in: Castanea 1998-09, Vol.63 (3), p.262-274
• Main Authors: Peet, R.K. (University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC.), Wentworth, T.R, White, P.S
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Autocorrelation; BOTANICAL COMPOSITION; CAROLINA DEL NORTE; CAROLINE DU NORD; COMPOSICION BOTANICA; COMPOSITION BOTANIQUE; Dry forests; Mountain forests; NORTH CAROLINA; Plants; Reconnaissance; RECORD KEEPING; Species; Species diversity; Stems; VEGETACION; VEGETATION; Vegetation of the Blue Ridge Province: Furman University, Greenville, South Carolina. April 17, 1997; Vegetation structure
• ISSN: 0008-7475; 1938-4386

We present a flexible protocol for recording vegetation composition and structure that is appropriate for diverse applications, is scale transgressive, yields data compatible with those from commonly used methods, and is applicable across a broad range of terrestrial vegetation. The protocol is intended to be flexible in the intensity of use and commitment of time, and sufficiently open in architecture as to be adaptable to unanticipated applications. The standard observation unit is a 10 × 10 m (0.01 ha) quadrat or "module." Where the extent of homogeneous vegetation is sufficient, multiple modules are combined to form a larger, more representative sample-unit. All vascular species are recorded by cover class and in intensively sampled modules as present or absent in sets of nested quadrats. For each module, tree stems are tallied by diameter class; species with exceptionally high or low stem density can be sub- or supersampled to allow efficient collection of data and assessment of population structure. The most common plot configuration consists of 10 modules arranged in a 2 × 5 array with four modules sampled intensively; this size is often necessary to capture the complexity of a forest community. For rapid reconnaissance or inventory purposes, fewer modules are typically employed, and less information is collected.