User: | Open Learning Faculty Member:
I collected my field data on 2 separate days (March 4, 2020, and August 6, 2020). The second survey day was to address my initial field survey design flaws. I needed to replace my dropped eastern auxiliary plot (as the original had been in Lost Lake) and to collect 5 more replicates. I increased the number of replicates, as 10 is the oft-repeated rule of thumb for a variable of interest.
As I now have 10 replicates, and 4 trees surveyed at each replicate, I have 40 trees sampled. I used the Vegetation Resources Inventory (VRI) Ground Sampling Procedures methodology to replace my dropped auxiliary plot. I also used these methods for 5 additional replicates, totalling 10.
August 6th was overcast, 20 degrees Celsius and called for rain. It had rained in the morning and I had hoped to collect data within the opening that rained ceased in the afternoon. I was unlucky and I had also not made my data sheets on water-proof paper. It was really difficult and an oversight I would never do again.
In my hypothesis, I stated that I would find conks on only one tree species and that is currently not being supported by my data. I have found conks on deciduous and coniferous trees. What is being supported is that conks appear on trees that have some type of decline present.
