Prism Sampling: Section 6.2.3, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Wildlife Resources Management Manual.

Abstract

Prism sampling (also called variable radius plot, Bitterlich, or point sampling) is a method commonly used to inventory woody vegetation, particularly, trees. It is easily applied with an optical wedge prism and is appropriate for determining basal area and density, as well as for assessing volume and stand structure. This report provides biologists and natural resource managers with a description of the method for use on project lands. Topics include sampling concept, guidelines for technique selection and study design, preparations for sampling, procedure for data collection, sources of bias, and data analysis. Detailed instructions are given for recording and analyzing data; these are accompanied by numerical examples that illustrate each step of the calculations. Reproducible data forms are provided for project use.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Jul 01, 1995
Accession Number
ADA299918

Entities

People

  • H. G. Hughes
  • Larry E. Marcy
  • Wilma A. Mitchell

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • C4I
  • Human Systems

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Accuracy
  • Army
  • Army Corps Of Engineers
  • Boundaries
  • Data Analysis
  • Engineers
  • Environment
  • Forests
  • Instructions
  • Measurement
  • Natural Resources
  • New York
  • Sampling
  • Sites
  • Statistical Analysis
  • United States
  • Wildlife

Readers

  • Geodesy
  • Systems Analysis and Design
  • Wetland-Land-Environmental Management.