Determining the effect of the invasive species Rhamnus cathartica in the native habitat of the Acer saccharinum

Our group went out on the afternoon of October 15, 2014 and again on October 22, 2014 to the Danby Woodlot located on York University’s Keele Campus in Toronto, Canada and placed a total of 12 quadrats created by four transect tapes, each enclosing an area of 20ft by 20ft.  The first quadrat was placed at one corner of the woodlot and the quadrats continued in a diagonal fashion almost reaching the opposite corner of the woodlot.  We counted the number of Common Buckthorns (Rhamnus cathartica) as well as the number of Silver Maples (Acer saccharinum) within the confines of the quadrat and included any individuals that were in contact with the transect tape line.  A count of all the trees, regardless of species, was also taken for other calculations such as relative density.  DBH, or diameter at breast height, was also measured and recorded.  This was done by one individual in our group to ensure consistency of the breast height and accuracy of the measurement of the specie's diameter which was calculated in inches with another transect tape.