Journal Article

Prism sweeps for coarse woody debris

Bebber, D.P, Thomas, S.C

2003

Overview

A new method for sampling coarse woody debris (CWD) is presented, based on relascope sampling of CWD midpoint diameter. In this method, CWD is included in a sample if the angle subtended by the midpoint diameter viewed from plot center is greater than the critical relascope angle. The method is therefore referred to as diameter relascope sampling (DRS). Other methods for sampling CWD are reviewed and compared with DRS using sampling simulations and statistical power calculations. These are fixed area sampling, line intercept sampling, and point relascope sampling. DRS is shown to be have greater statistical power per unit sampling effort than other methods when CWD diameter and length are linearly or allometrically related, but results can vary with the diameter-length relationship employed. The relative benefits of different methods for sampling CWD are discussed.

• Publisher: NRC Research Press,National Research Council of Canada,Canadian Science Publishing NRC Research Press
• Subject: Agronomy. Soil science and plant productions / Animal and plant ecology / Animal, plant and microbial ecology / Biological and medical sciences / Chemical, physicochemical, biochemical and biological properties / coarse woody debris / Data collection / dead wood / Detritus / equations / fixed-area sampling / forest litter / Forest management / Forestry / Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology / General forest ecology / Generalities. Production, biomass. Quality of wood and forest products. General forest ecology / line intersect sampling / methodology / new methods / Organic matter / Physics, chemistry, biochemistry and biology of agricultural and forest soils / relascope sampling / Sampling / simulation models / Soil science / statistical analysis / Synecology / Technology / Terrestrial ecosystems / Trees / Wood / Wood waste