Blog Post 5

Did you have any difficulties in implementing your sampling strategy?

I chose to investigate my hypothesis by using the point centered quarter technique. I found this way of collecting data very efficient and straightforward. I did not come across any difficulties.

Was the data that you collected surprising in any way?

I was surprised to observe how sparse Jack Pines are within the forest itself. I thought they would be distributed more evenly amongst the spruce , but they seemed to only appear around forest edges were rocks were present . I also found it interesting how Jack Pines seem to be the dominant species on rock faces. It doesn’t seem like a large tree such as a Jackpine would thrive on a terrain with little to no soil .

Do you plan to continue to collect data using the same technique, or do you need to modify your approach?

Point centered quarter sampling is used to gather information on tree density, frequency and coverage. This technique will provide the data that I will need to prove my hypothesis. It can also provide information on how common Jack Pine is relative to others  in the ecosystem. So yes I will continue to use this technique.

Changes to my technique:

• I may add in more detail to my report relative density, relative frequency and relative basal area.
• Measuring relative basal area is called relative breast height of the tree and is measure at 4.5 feet from the ground up the trunk. To determine if Jackpine growth is different amongst the different terrains.
• I will also mark my transect lines using flagging tape, each transect line will be 30m ( 100ft) in a quadrant , instead of haphazardly throwing a ball as my center point , the center point will be the middle of the two transects.
• I think adding the basal area will add more data to the research that may give a better picture of Jack pine growth in the boreal forest.  I also think using the center point of two 30m transects will give more reliable quantifiable results.