Ocular and Densimeter Estimates of Understory Foliar Cover in Forests of Alabama

Thomas W. Popham; Roger L. Baker

doi:10.2737/SO-RN-334

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Ocular and Densimeter Estimates of Understory Foliar Cover in Forests of Alabama

Informally Refereed

Authors:

Thomas W. Popham, Roger L. Baker

Year:

1987

Type:

Research Note

Station:

Southern Research Station

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.2737/SO-RN-334

Source:

Res. Note SO-334. New Orleans, LA: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Southern Forest Experiment Station. 4 p.

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Abstract

Foliar cover estimates of woody and herbaceous understory vegetation were done on twenty l-m² plots for a variety of forest types in Alabama. The methods of estimation were ocular, loop-densimeter assisted ocular, and point frame. The point frame was used as the standard and the other two methods were compared using chi-square. Some ocular estimates were accurate, but the number and amount of inaccurate estimates were sufficient to result in a statistically significant difference at a=0.05. A difference existed in the ability of estimators to accurately estimate foliar cover of different vegetation groups. Therefore, ocular and loop-densimeter assisted ocular estimates did not provide consistently accurate estimates of the proportion of foliar cover of understory vegetation for forests in Alabama.

Citation

Popham, Thomas W.; Baker, Roger L. 1987. Ocular and Densimeter Estimates of Understory Foliar Cover in Forests of Alabama. Res. Note SO-334. New Orleans, LA: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Southern Forest Experiment Station. 4 p.