TITLE |
PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
Tim Fahey
Dept. Of Natural Resources, Fernow Hall
Cornell University, Ithaca, Ny 14853
Telephone: 607-255-5470
OTHERS INVOLVED
Hughes, J. W.
BEGIN DATE
July 1984
END DATE
July 1989
LOCATION
Watershed 5
LOCATION DESCRIPTION
A map is filed at the Forest Service building in Durham, NH. Please contact the
Data Manager if you would like a copy. W5 is gridded into 25 meter-square cells, the corners of which are marked with painted wooden stakes and orange poles; the pole located in the northwest corner bearing the cell number. The permanent plots censused for the revegetation project are located within eight of the 25 meter-square grid cells: cell numbers 171, 181, 250, 259, 289, 296, 343, and 350. Each of the surveyed cells is divided into twenty-five 5 meter-square permanent plots, numbered from left to right, which are delineated by nylon cord and fiberglass stakes. The 5 meter-square plots are subsequently divided into twenty-five 1 meter-square quadrats, again numbered from left to right, with lengths of PVC pipe marking the corners of each. These quadrats are then subdivided into four 0.5 meter-square quadrants, numbered 1 - 4, the peripheries of which are not demarcated.
DATA DESCRIPTION
In order to study the extent of post - clearcut revegetation over time, the numbers and regenerative types of individual plants of herbaceous and woody species, growing in established permanent plots within the clearcut watershed, were recorded annually from 1984 through 1989.
SAMPLING DESIGN AND FILE STRUCTURE
Prior to clearcutting, Watershed 5 was gridded into 25 meter-square cells, a random representation of which was chosen for vegetation sampling. The selected cells were subsequently divided into 5 meter-square permanent plots. Soon after the 1983-84 harvest, those permanent plots that remained intact were divided into 1 meter-square quadrats, each comprised of four, 0.5 meter-square quadrants. The extent of soil disturbance in each of the quadrants was determined, and was categorized as "undisturbed", "scarified", or "severely disturbed"; the degree of disturbance was rated from 0 = undisturbed to 5 = mineral soil (1 = scarified, 2 - 4 = various degrees of topsoil removal). Revegetation in all designated quadrants determined to be free of soil disturbance following the clearcutting was surveyed and quantified every August - September from 1984 - 1989, whereas disturbed areas were surveyed infrequently.
To ensure accurate assessment, quadrant dividers were constructed to separate each of the 1 meter-square quadrats into its four constituent quadrants. On raw data sheets, species codes (letters/symbols) were entered within each quadrant censused, and regrowth was quantified by assessing the number of stems per species, or the percentage of coverage. The regenerative type (i.e. seedling, sprout or advanced regeneration) of each surveyed plant was also recorded, as were any notable observations such as browsing or the mortality of woody species. A list of species codes and symbols follows.
The revegetation census data was recorded in EXCEL files, organized by grid cell number and year. These files have been translated into ASCII files. Each file consists of a spreadsheet arranged as follows: the first column contains the year the plots were censused; the second column contains the grid cell number; the third column contains the permanent plot number; the fourth column contains the quadrant code. The computer code for each quadrant consists of the quadrat number followed by the quadrant number (i.e. quadrant #1 of quadrat #14 has the code "141"). The codes range from "11" (for quadrant #1 of quadrat #1) to "254" (for quadrant #4 of quadrat #25). The remaining columns are reserved for plant species codes. Permanent columns were established for the most common species, identified by the following codes:
| Species | Code |
| Pin Cherry | P |
| Beech | B |
| Sugar Maple | M |
| Striped Maple | t |
| Wood Fern | DV |
| Hayscented Fern | H |
| Birch Seedling | R |
| Viburnum | V |
| Raspberry | r |
| Sedge | S |
| Violet | E |
| Elderberry | l,N |
| Aster | A |
| P | pin cherry |
| P/ | pin cherry (advanced regeneration) |
| M | sugar maple |
| M/ | sugar maple (advanced regeneration) |
| Mx | sugar maple (sprout) |
| M// | sugar maple (meaning unknown) |
REFERENCES
ACCESS
Public
DATA LOCATION
USDA Forest Service, Durham, NH
LAST UPDATED
1989
CONTACT PERSON
John Campbell
PO Box 640
Durham, NH 03824
Telephone: (603) 868-7643
E-mail: jcampbell@lternet.edu
VARIABLES
| Column | Variable | Description | Units | Coded | Missing Value |
| 1 | yr | Year | yy | n | none |
| 2 | grid cell | Numbered grid cell | - | n | none |
| 3 | plot | Numbered plot | - | n | none |
| 4 | quad | Numbered quadrant | - | n | none |
| 4 | dist. class | Disturbance class | - | y | none |
| 5... | Species | Species codes | - | n | none |
CODES
| Species Codes | |
| Code | Species |
| Q | Ash |
| a | Aspen |
| A | Aster |
| B | Beech |
| b | blackberry |
| R | Birch seedling |
| C | Clintonia |
| c | Cornus |
| d | Delicate fern |
| l | Elderberry (<= 1 yr old) |
| N | Elderberry (> 1 yr old) |
| F | Fir |
| G, g | Grass |
| h | Hemlock |
| H | Hayscented fern |
| I, IC | Indian Cucumber |
| j | Jack in the Pulpit |
| L | Lycopodium |
| m | Maianthemum |
| mm | Mountain Maple |
| NYF, nyf | New York Fern |
| o, theta | Oxalis |
| p | Partridge Berry |
| P | Pin Cherry |
| r | Raspberry |
| f | Red Maple |
| S | Sedge |
| SD | Solidago |
| Z, z, SB, sb | Sorbus |
| SP, sp | Spruce |
| s | Solomon's Seal |
| t | Striped Maple |
| M | Sugar Maple |
| T | Trillium |
| U, u | Uvularia |
| V | Viburnum |
| E | Violet |
| W, WB | White Birch |
| D | Wood Fern |
| Y | Yellow Birch |
| Symbol Definitions | |
| Symbol | Definition |
| / | advanced regeneration (> 1 yr old) |
| v, û,> | browsed |
| + | dead |
| %, *, = number | percent cover (eg 50%) |
| ? | questionable species |
| x, X | sprout |
| // | meaning unknown |
NOTES
Although the actual method of collecting data did not technically change over the years, the surveys were performed by various people, resulting in the occasional alteration or misuse of codes and/or symbols. Data collected for grid cell 296 is apparently missing.
DATA FILE NAME(S)
hbw5.txt