Pointframe measurements of vegetation species and height from Small Mammal Experiment Summer 2018 and 2019 near Utqiagvik (Barrow), Alaska

We conducted a field experiment in which small mammal density was manipulated at three replicate sites at near Utqiagvik, Alaska. The motivation for collecting this pointframe dataset was to understand and quantify the impact of the most abundant herbivores, small rodents (voles and lemmings) on tussock tundra vegetation community composition and canopy structure in the Arctic. In July of 2018, at each site we set up an 8 meter (m) x 8 m fenced exclosure with a 0.635 centimeter (cm) square mesh to prevent herbivore grazing and increase vegetation cover (Exclosure treatment (EX)), set up a 20 m x 20 m enclosure that was stocked with up to 4 voles from spring snowmelt through September in 2018 and 2019 (Press treatment (PR)), and identified an 8 m x 8 m unfenced control plot marked at each corner with pin flags at each site (Control (CT)). In 2019, at each site we set up a 20 m x 20 m enclosure that was stocked with up to 4 voles from spring snowmelt through September in 2019 only, after which voles were removed and the fences served to exclude voles from 2020-2023 (Pulse treatment (PU)).
Within each treatment at each site, we collected vegetation species and height data from pointframe measurements (62 points, 80cm across with a 0.5m^2 footprint) at three distinct locations during the period of peak leaf out (~July) in 2018 and 2019.