Pocket gopher esker-krummholz distance data for Martinelli slope and North of Tvan, 1995.

Two ares of Niwot Ridge were examined for simultaneous occurrences of krummholz and eskers created by Thomomys talpoides (Northern pocket gopher) burrowing, to establish a relationship between snowpack and gopher habitat. The krummholz east and northeast of the Martinelli slope and the krummholz north of T-van were surveyed for the abundance of gopher eskers. Using a tape measure, the minimum and maximum distances of the eskers from the krummholz vegetation were measured, with a value of 0 m indicating that the nearest soil core was immediately adjacent to or actually underlying a branch of the tree. With the use of a compass, both the northernmost and southernmost bearings were measured from the krummholz to the esker. The krummholz were tagged at the northeasternmost point whenever possible for consistency, or the northernmost branches of the leeward side of the tree island. All measurements were taken from the nearest protruberance of the krummholz.