• Address:
  705 Spear Street
  South Burlington, Vermont 05403
  United States of America
  
  Phone: (802) 391-4135
  Email: femc@uvm.edu
  Website: www.uvm.edu/femc

This project is a 50-year monitoring effort to examine the long-term effects of broad-scale environmental changes--particularly changes in climate, air quality, soil health, and vegetation, in the Green Mountain National Forests.

• Label: DecayClass

• Description: A scale from 1 to 5 that determines how intact the coarse woody debris is. A 1 indicates a newly fallen specimen where as a 5 indicates a very decomposed specimen.

• Storage Type: int

• Measurment Type: ordinal

• Label: LargeEndDiameter

• Description: This refers to the diameter of the larger end of the log or downed woody material. There is no maximum as indicated by a value of 999.

• Storage Type: decimal

• Measurment Type: ratio
• Precision: 0.1
• Unit: inches
• Number Type: rational
• Bounds:
• Minimum: 0
• Maximum: 999

• Label: Length

• Description: The length of any recorded downed woody debris. A minimum length of 3.0 feet is required for the debris to be counted. There is no maximum as indicated by a value of 999.

• Storage Type: decimal

• Measurment Type: ratio
• Precision: 0.1
• Unit: feet
• Number Type: rational
• Bounds:
• Minimum: 3
• Maximum: 999

• Label: PlotID

• Description: PlotID

• Storage Type: text

• Measurment Type: nominal

• Label: SmallEndDiameter

• Description: The diameter of the smaller end of the downed woody material. There is no maximum as indicated by a value of 999.

• Storage Type: decimal

• Measurment Type: ratio
• Precision: 0.1
• Unit: inches
• Number Type: rational
• Bounds:
• Minimum: 0
• Maximum: 999

• Label: Species

• Description: A code that coordinates to a particular species of tree.

• Storage Type: text

• Measurment Type: nominal

• Label: SubplotID

• Description: There are 4 subplots that make up a plot. They are labeled 1 through 4.

• Storage Type: text

• Measurment Type: nominal

• Label: TransectAutoID

• Description: Transect ID numbers

• Storage Type: text

• Measurment Type: nominal

• Label: TransectDiameter

• Description: The diameter of CWD at the point it crosses the transect. There is no maximum as indicated by a value of 999.

• Storage Type: decimal

• Measurment Type: ratio
• Precision: 0.1
• Unit: inches
• Number Type: rational
• Bounds:
• Minimum: 0
• Maximum: 999

• Label: Year

• Description: Year the data was collected.

• Storage Type: date

• Measurment Type: datetime
• String Format: YYYY

• Plot establishment
  • Started: 1200-08-29
    
  • Method Description: 20 plots were established in different areas of the Green Mountain National Forest. Plot selection parameters included lack of disturbance, minimum 1/4 from roads, common ecological land and soil types, in uniform areas with less than 35% slope.

• Unnamed Method
  • Method Description: Plot design generally follows FIA procedures with exceptions made for soils and lichen sampling. A plot center and 3 subplots were established, with an area between them for soil sampling. Three trees near subplot centers were scribed; 2 at dbh and 1 at the base.

• Data collection
  • Method Description: Plots were sampled for vegetation, lichen, tree, down woody debris, and soil data.

• Soil sampling pits
  • Method Description: Three 2X3 soil sampling pits were dug/plot. One 4 ounce sample/soil layer was collected, and bulk samples were taken at the Oi and Oe, A and Oa horizons, and from the 1st 10 inches of the B horzin, and at 60-70 cm belwo the ground surface.

• Vegetation monitoring
  • Method Description: Vegetation was monitored in 24-foot diameter circular subplots surrounding each subplot center. All plant species within the circle were identified and each species’ abundance was estimated. Vegetation was divided into height classes and relative abundances of species were estimated. A small (1 m²) vegetation plot was placed along each of three transects radiating at set degrees from the subplot center. All vegetation growing within these 1 m² vegetation plots was inventoried.

• Subplot inventory
  • Method Description: Trees, saplings, and down woody material were inventoried in each subplot. Samplers measured diameters and estimated heights of each tree within the 24-foot radius subplots, measured diameters and heights of all saplings within a 6.8-foot radius microplot, and measured sizes and described decay classes of coarse woody material along a transect. Fine woody material was not measured.

• Lichen collection
  • Method Description: Lichen specimens were collected to determine species diversity. Lichens were collected throughout each 58.9-foot radius annular plot. Each specimen was placed in its own brown paper bag and labeled with plot number, collection number, date, abundance, and occasional microhabitat notes, for id in the laboratory. As specimens were collected in the field, the sampler estimated the abundance of each species in the plot.

• Soil sample processing
  • Method Description: Soil samples were dried at the Mount Tabor Work Station of the GMNF at the end of each field season. During the drying process, the soil samples were laid out to air dry on clean plastic tarps in the fall. Samples took 2-3 months to dry. Samples were then bagged and delivered to the Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest for analysis of a full complement of chemical parameters. Archived soil samples will be stored at Hubbard Brook.