User: | Open Learning Faculty Member:
I collected data in the forested area on my property off of Clandeboye rd, MB, on April 15th, 2021. There was snow on the ground (up to a foot in height in certain areas) after a snowstorm. The day’s weather was 5 °C with clear skies. My study area is approximately 200m in length and 40m in width, so I made three transects and systematically sampled every 20 paces along each transect. The data I collected were soil samples and measurements of tree circumference at breast height (CBH) for trees over 25cm in CBH. Initially, I was planning on doing square plots along each transect but changed my mind during the first sample. It was very difficult to mark down a square plot with the tools I had and the highly dense forest, so I decided to do circle plots (5m radius) instead. By doing this, I was able to stand in the middle of a plot, collect my soil sample (10cm depth), and measure whether any of the trees of interest were within 5m from me. If they were within 5m, they would be within my plot so I included them in my sample. The only logistical difficulties I encountered was having to walk through snow in a dense forest (and dig through it) and making sure that there was no organic matter in my soil samples. My cat kept me company during the expedition and I made sure to remove any gross organic matter from my samples the next day before I weighed them. I plan to continue this approach for my study.
The data I collected was surprising because I was expecting both the EAST and WEST perimeter transects to have a greater mean CBH, but instead it was rather an increasing gradient from EAST to WEST for CBH (i.e., EAST mean CBH 40.4cm, CENTRE mean CBH 51.7cm, and WEST mean CBH 82.8cm). I am currently dehydrating my soil samples after measuring their initial mass so I will not know the moisture content associated with each transect for a few more days.
