80 years of forest dynamics at Ross Biological Reserve

Methods

Summary

Every tree inside each 40x40m subplot will be identified to species, and its diameter at breast height (DBH) will be measured. The historical census only measured trees >8" in diameter, but I plan to update the methods to match the Smithsonia Centre for Tropical Forest science  ForestGeo methods (Condit 1998). 

This means that starting in 2019, every tree taller than 1.3m, and >1cm DBH will be mapped, identified and measured. The new method includes the old method allowing for 80 year comparisons, but it modernizes it potentially allowing for global cross-plot comparisons. 

Challenges

The primary challenge is the number of trees that occur within a 27Ha plot. We have a tremendous advantage in that the grid is already present, and many of the trees are already tagged. 

This challenge is why I require a crew of 6 technicians to tackle the problem.

Pre Analysis Plan

Another advantage of using the ForestGeo methods is that there is an R package, designed for analysis of forest dynamics using data in that format.