Agenda - Environmental Policy Board - 07/19/2021

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Title 190-Forestry Inventory Methods Technical Note Representative trees in the dominant crown class of each species in the stand are cored using an increment borer to determine tree age and growth. Choose a tree that is not growing close to a road or open area, as those trees express a growth advantage over trees deeper in the stand. Recording the radial growth for the past 10 years is a common practice. Noting the best 10 years growth is useful to understand potential growth and possible expectation of response to management activities. Site index trees, usually the same trees sampled for growth, are measured for age and height to determine stand growth potential. Site index curves are available from your forester. A cautionary note is that if the stand you are working in has been selectively harvested with numerous entries where the best lumber -producing trees were removed, the representative trees available may not offer an accurate site index. Site index information for a limited selection of tree species is often available by soil series from the Web Soil Survey at website httns://websoilsurvev.sc. eaov.usda. 2ov/Ann/HomePa2e.htm Figure 1: Vertical Stratification in a Forest Stand Overstory Shrub/sapling Ground-- vegetation` regeneration Graphic Adapted From Brown (1985) Method Point Sampling (or Variable -Radius Plot Sampling) Point sampling, also known as variable -radius plot sampling, is a widely used forest inventory technique in which trees are selected and tallied based on their size relative to a preselected reference, either the BA prism or angle gauge. Results of point sampling can yield BA, TPA, and species composition depicted in a diameter distribution table if desired. Stand volume can also be estimated using point data. • Determining the Number of Plots (Technical Note No. 190-FOR-01, Jul 2018) 4