Distance to closest tree, dbh, and condition of trees along a transect in the Saywell Woodlot

Data was collected on September 21, 2015 between 3:30 and 4:30 pm in the Saywell Woodlot on York University campus. The temperature at the time of data collection was 19 degrees Celcius and it was partly cloudy. Leaves in the area had not yet begun their autumnal colour change to a significant extent. The experimenters laid down a transect starting at the edge of the woodlot (a pathway that runs alongside the woodlot), going towards the centre of the woodlot. The position of the transect was determined by using a random number generator to generate a number between 1 and 100. The experimenters then walked this number of steps along the pathway, then placed the transect and began walking along the transect towards the centre of the woodlot. Each time the experimenters came across an adult tree (a tree over 8ft tall) within 0.5m of the transect, they visually estimated which tree in the woodlot was closest to the tree along the transect. The experimenters then measured the distance between the tree along the transect and the tree closest to it by measuring from the centre of one trunk to the centre of the other trunk. The diameter at breast height (dbh) of both trees was measured and the experimenters estimated the condition of each tree by categorizing it as dead (0), alive (1), or having a huge green canopy (3). Data was recorded for 10 adult trees along the transect.