G) Designate the indicator status of each domi- 

 nant. 



4) Sapling stratum (young or small trees greater 

 than or equal to 20 feet tall and with a diameter at 

 breast height less than 5 inches): Follow the same 

 procedures as listed for the shrub stratum or the 

 tree stratum (i.e., plot sampling technique), which- 

 ever is preferred. 



5) Woody vine stratum (climbing or twining 

 woody plants): Follow the same procedures as list- 

 ed for the shrub stratum. 



6) Tree stratum (woody plants greater than or equal 

 to 20 feet tall and with a diameter at breast height 

 equal to or greater than 5 inches). Two alternative 

 approaches are offered for characterizing the tree 

 stratum: 



A) Plot sampling technique 



This technique involves establishing a sam- 

 ple unit within the 30-foot radius sample plot and 

 determining the basal area of the trees by individual 

 and by species. Basal area for individual trees can 

 be measured directly by using a basal area tape or 

 indirectly by measuring diameter at breast height 

 (dbh) with a diameter tape and converting diameter 



to basal area using the formula A = 7td2/4 (where A 



= basal area, % = 3.1416, and d = dbh). This tech- 

 nique may be preferred to the plotless technique if 

 only one person is performing a comprehensive 

 determination. 



The plot technique involves the following 

 steps: 



(1) Locate and mark, if necessary, a sample 

 unit (plot) with a radius of 30 feet, or change the 

 shape of the plot to match topography. (Note: A 

 larger sampling unit may be required when o-ees are 

 large and widely spaced.) 



(2) Identify each tree, within the plot, meas- 

 ure its basal area (using a basal area tape) or meas- 

 ure its dbh (using a diameter tape) and compute its 

 basal area, then record data on the data form. 



(3) Calculate the total basal area for each tree 

 species by summing the basal area values of all 

 individual trees of each species. 



(4) Rank species according to their total 

 basal area, in descending order from largest basal 

 area to lowest. 



(5) Calculate the total basal area value of all 

 trees in the plot by summing the total basal area for 

 all species. 



(6) Determine the dominant trees species; 

 dominant species are those species (when ranked in 

 descending order and cumulatively totaled) that 

 immediately exceed 50 percent of the total basal 

 area value for the plot, plus any addidonal species 

 comprising 20 percent or more of the total basal 

 area of the plot; record the dominant species on the 

 appropriate data form. 



(7) Designate the indicator status of each 

 dominant (i.e., OBL, FACW, FAC, FACU, or 

 UPL). 



B) Plotless Sampling Technique 



This technique involves determining basal 

 area by using a basal area factor (BAF) prism (e.g., 

 BAF 10 for the East) or an angle gauge to identify 

 individual trees to measure diameter at breast height 

 (dbh) or basal area. This approach is plotless in that 

 trees within and beyond the 30-foot radius plot are 

 recorded depending on their dbh and distance from 

 the sampling point. 



(1) Standing near the center of the 30-foot 

 radius plot, hold the prism or angle gauge directly 

 over the center of the plot at a constant distance 

 from the eye and record all trees by species that are 

 "sighted in," while rotating 360° in one direction. 

 {Note: Trees with multiple trunks below 4.5 feet 

 should be counted as two or more trees if all trunks 

 are "sighted in." If trunks split above 4.5 feet, 

 count as one tree if "sighted in." Sighting level 

 should approximate 4.5 feet above the ground. 

 With borderline trees, every other tree of a given 

 species should be tallied.) 



(2) Measure the dbh of all "sighted in" trees. 

 {Note: This should be done as trees are sighted.) 



(3) Compute basal area for each tree. {Note: 

 When dbh was measured, apply the formula A = 



Kd-/4, where A = basal area, K = 3.1416, and d = 

 dbh. To expedite this calculation, use a hand calcu- 

 lator into which the following conversion factor is 



44 



