Level-1 Sampling Overview

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Level-1 Sampling Overview

• CVS-EEP Vegetation Monitoring Workshop
• June 9, 2009
• Tom Wentworth NC State University

CAROLINA VEGETATION SURVEY
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Background Level 1

• Level 1 is designed specifically for restoration
  areas with planted material only planted woody
  stems are inventoried.
• goals to determine pattern of installation of
  woody stems with respect to species, spacing, and
  density, and to monitor their survival and growth

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Information Gathered

• Plot Data
• specific data about the plot (e.g., elevation)
  and metadata (data about the data, e.g.,
  taxonomic standard used)
• Planted Woody Stem Data
• information about all planted stems, including
  location, dimensions, vitality, and damage

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Some General Guidelines

• Complete as many fields as possible
• fields designated in Bold Underlined must be
  completed
• Use pencil (7 mm mechanical preferred).
• It is generally preferable to cross out mistakes
  rather than to erase them.
• Please take advantage of NOTES fields to record
  helpful information.

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About the Inventory Plots

• Location of stands - based on available
  vegetation, project goals, needs of landowners,
  representativeness, etc.
• Size and shape of plots
• for level 1, always 100 m2 (1 are) and either 10
  x 10 m (typical) or 5 x 20 m, as needed

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About the Inventory Plots

• Number of plots please refer to CVS-EEP
  protocol for guidelines.
• Other considerations
• project directors will select stands within which
  are placed a plot or plots
• plots should be placed in such a way that avoids
  bias
• plot placement should also avoid edge effects and
  achieve homogeneity of vegetation and environment

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Plot Data -General Information Plot ID

• Plot identification is critical to success of the
  inventory effort
• Project Label unique and assigned by EEP
• Project name official name (may not be unique)
  assigned by EEP
• Team each field team within a project has a
  unique number use 1 if only one team exists
• Plot for each team, a unique numeric identifier
  for each plot, running sequentially from an
  initial plot number.

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General InformationLevel, Date(s), and Party

• Level available levels in CVS-EEP protocol are
  1-5, but we are only considering level 1 (planted
  stems only) for our current purposes.
• Start Date use dd/mmm/yyyy (e.g., 9/JUN/2009)
  format
• add End Date if different from start date
• Party and Role
• all contributors to collection of data, with
  roles played

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General InformationSoil Drainage

• Identifies the natural drainage conditions of the
  soil and refers to the frequency and duration of
  wet periods.
• Categories are defined in terms of
• actual moisture content (in excess of field
  moisture capacity), and
• the extent of period during which excess water is
  present in the plant-root zone
• Please consult the protocol for details!

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General Information Water

• Information requested
• percent of plot submerged (at the time of
  inventory)
• mean water depth (where present)

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Location

• General overall location (general place name)
• State and County
• USGS Quadrangle (if used)
• Place Names more specific location name(s)
• EEP Reach section of river where study is
  located
• Land Owner

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GPS Location Data

• Use of GPS for location data is required for
  level 1 sampling.
• GPS Receiver Location - within plot, give X and Y
  coordinates, typically plot origin.
• Specify Coordinate System (e.g., UTM) and Coord.
  Units (e.g., m).
• Datum - critical information, because all
  geocoordinates are referenced to a datum, and
  many different datums are available
• we recommend NAD83/WGS84

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GPS Location Data

• Zone (if using UTM system)
• Lat or Northing (latitude in selected units or
  UTM-N 7-digit)
• Long or Easting (longitude in selected units or
  UTM-E 6-digit)
• Coordinate Accuracy - m radius, typically
  provided by GPS receiver
• GPS File Name - if you saved a waypoint or other
  file

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Site Characteristics

• Elevation - best taken from topographic maps or
  GIS (not from GPS unit), or by using properly
  calibrated altimeter
• Slope - plot inclination in degrees (always
  positive)
• Aspect - azimuth in degrees of direction plot
  faces
• Compass Type - are readings magnetic or true
  (corrected for local declination)?

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Plot Placement

• Project Director or Plot Leader will make this
  determination.

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Taxonomic Standard

• Plant nomenclature is notoriously labile!
• It is important to cite the authority (reference)
  used for the names you applied to plants, because
  this identifies the concepts behind the names.
• Our current preference is Alan Weakleys regional
  flora (currently 2006 version), but you may
  choose other standards, or possibly multiple
  standards!

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Plot Diagram

• This important diagram captures
• plot shape and dimensions (Plot Size is default
  of 1 are 100 m2)
• location of plot origin and marking posts
  (including X and Y coordinates of all Posts
  relative to origin)
• we recommend locating plot origin along the side
  of the plot away from the stream course when the
  plot is adjacent to a stream (to reduce
  likelihood of loss of origin stake by flood
  events)

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Plot Diagram

• This important diagram also captures
• GPS location point
• location and bearing of photo(s)
• Bearing of Plot X-Axis
• locations of landmarks, such as streams, banks,
  fences, witness trees, etc.

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Notes

• These notes capture additional information about
• Layout (especially unusual features)
• Plot Location - relocation information can be
  summarized here
• Plot Rationale - why this particular location was
  chosen for the plot
• Other Notes - typically, this field will capture
  information about disturbance type and severity

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Planted Woody Stem Data Form Header

• Field at top of second data form (Planted Woody
  Stem Data)
• repeats information from Plot Data form
• Leader, Project Label, Team, Plot, Date
• essential for reuniting data forms if they become
  separated, so please fill this out as you begin
  recording data!
• add page numbering as needed

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Planted versus Natural Stems

• The CVS-EEP Protocol for Recording Vegetation
  requires that a distinction is made between
  planted and natural woody stems. Which is which?
• if there is positive confirmation (e.g., planting
  plan) or strong evidence (e.g., burlap shreds)
  that a stem was planted, then consider it
  plantedotherwise, consider it natural (and thus
  not recorded in Level 1)!

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Planted Stem Data EntryVBD versus VMD

• For newly-constructed projects, planted woody
  stems are initially inventoried through
  collection of Vegetation Baseline Data (VBD)
• In years following initial plot establishment,
  the protocol specifies collection of Vegetation
  Monitoring Data (VMD)
• preprinted forms are provided to contractors with
  the most recent years data for planted woody
  stems in the plot (including a map of stems)
• contractors update the VMD data form with current
  dimensions and status of planted woody stems

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VBD Planted Stem Data EntrySpecies Source

• Species Name - use Latin binomials, following
  your taxonomic standard
• Source - was planted material Transplanted, Live
  staked, Balled and burlapped, Potted, Tubling,
  Bare Rooted, Mechanically planted, or is it
  Unknown?

http//www.life.uiuc.edu/edtech/entomology_slides/
images/31067-linnaeus.jpg
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VBD Planted Stem Data EntryCoordinates

• X and Y Coordinates relative to plot origin (same
  system used to specify location of posts)
• in meters, to nearest decimeter (i.e., to 0.1 m
  precision)
• values are binned (truncated) such that
• 0.0 - 0.099 m is 0.0m
• 0.1 - 0.199 m is 0.1m
• 0.2 - 0.299 m is 0.2m
• and so on...

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VBD Planted Stem Data EntryStem Dimensions

• ddh - diameter (mm) at one decimeter height - of
  largest of multiple stems, but smallest dimension
  if elliptical, also binned
• Height - height (cm) to tallest perennating organ
  (typically a terminal bud) of plant (tallest stem
  of multiple-stemmed plants), also binned
• Note that height precision drops to 10cm if the
  plant is gt250cm and lt400cm tall, and to 50cm if
  plant is gt400cm tall.
• DBH - diameter in cm at breast height (137 cm)
  for taller plants (largest of multiple stems),
  also binned
• ddh, height, and DBH may be determined for
  different stems of the same plant, but these
  attributes are assigned to the individual plant

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Measure What When?
Required Measurements, Planted Woody Stems Required Measurements, Planted Woody Stems Required Measurements, Planted Woody Stems Required Measurements, Planted Woody Stems
Plant Height/Type ddh (mm) Height (cm) DBH (cm)
lt 137 cm tall yes, mm precision yes, cm precision no
gt 137 cm and lt 250 cm tall yes, mm precision yes, cm precision yes, cm precision
gt 250 cm and lt 400 cm tall no yes, 10 cm precision, but still use cm units yes, cm precision
gt 400 cm tall no yes, 50 cm precision, but still use cm units yes, cm precision
Live stake no yes, cm precision Yes if gt 137 cm tall, cm precision
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VBD Planted Stem Data EntryVigor and Damage

• Vigor - 4 (excellent) to 0 (dead) categories,
  plus Missing (for resurveys)
• Damage - records observed injury to planted stems
  (many categories on data form)

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Wrap-Up

• Work efficiently!
• Work safely!
• the bear facts about safety
• questions?