Field Training with plants at York University; European Buckthorn (RhaImnus cathartica) DBH and canopy coverage in Danby Woods

<b>Methods &amp; Materials:</b> In order to assess the relationship between European Buckthorn DBH and distance to other same species, 10 tree samples were studied. The survey was situated within the Danby Woodlot at York University (≈ 43.7735⁰N, 79.5019⁰W) The weather on Thursday September 22, 2016 was very warm with periods of sun and cloud. A very small amount of precipitation occurred that was insignificant. Students sampled 10 European Buckthorn trees within the Danby Woodlot and recorded DBH and distance from one sample to the next. Students used a tape measure to measure the distance and DBH and recorded results in a notebook.<br><b>Hypothesis:</b>The diameter of Buckthorn tree samples in the study would be dependent on the distance from other Buckthorn tree samples. Buckthorn tree samples with large DBH measurements would also have a high percentage of canopy cover. Large trees are likely to have more canopy coverage since they have more leaves. Trees close to trees with large DBH will consequently have smaller DBH measurements and a smaller percentage of canopy coverage since the larger canopies restrict sunlight to the small tree specimens.<b>Predictions:</b>1. Buckthorn tree samples near a Buckthorn tree with a large DBH will have smaller DBH measurements 2. Large Buckthorn tree samples with large DBH will have more canopy coverage 3. Samples with high percentage of canopy coverage will be the larger of trees sampled in this study<b><br></b><b>Group Members:</b> Krysten Zarivnij, Monica Matta, Vanessa Guo and Avani Abraham<br><b>Metadata:</b><b>Attribute</b>: Description <b>Buckthorn Sample:</b> Data was collected by sampling 10 adult European Buckthorn trees. Adult trees were selected based on trunk size (more than 2cm) and height (more than 200cm) Sampling took place at York University in the Danby woodlot. <b>DBH (cm): </b>Diameter at breast height was measured in centimetres using a measuring tape. The height of measurement was approximate 1.3m from the base of the tree. This measurement was a rough estimate of the diameter of the trees trunk. <b>Canopy Coverage (%)</b>: Canopy coverage was measured by shaking the tree while all group members watched how much of the canopy moved within eye view directly above head. A rough percentage was assigned to each tree canopy. Canopy coverage estimated the amount of leaf cover in the sky directly above the tree of interest. <b>Distance between samples (m)</b>: Distance from one European buckthorn sample to the next was measured in metres using a taut tape measure. <br><br><br>