Woodlot Dataset 3- Sampling Trees using Transect

The experiment the dataset was collected on was conducted on Tuesday September 22nd 2015 from approximately 4:00-4:45 PM at the Osgoode Woodlot area at York University. The temperature of the area was around 22°C with a clear sunny sky. But due to the experiment being in the woodlot area the tree canopies covered most of the light leaving it very dimly lit with a cooler overall temperature. The experiment was done together with Maleeha, Laiba and Rachel. There were 4 datasets to complete in the experiment and each group member was assigned one dataset to further analyze. I was assigned to complete dataset #3 with the help of my partner, Maleeha. The experiment started off at the edge of the Osgoode Woodlot. We walked in a straight line towards the center of the woodlot. Every adult tree (twice the observer’s height around 340cm) encountered, we measured the distance between it to the closest adult tree nearby with the transect tape in metres at the breast height of the observer (around 140cm), therefore forming a pair (replicate). We also measured the diameter (dph) of the paired trees using the transect tape in centimetres at the breast height (around 140cm) of the observer. As well as the condition of the trees from the ratings 0-2 (0=dead, 1=living, 2=huge green canopy). This procedure was repeated 9 more times to get a total of 10 pairings (replicates). It was recorded by hand during the experiment and then transferred onto Microsoft Excel to further organize the dataset. In this experiment it allows the students to learn how to identify plant species and how to collect the datasets with different sampling tools like the quadrat and transect.