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RULE 4 PERFORMANCE STANDARDS <br /> <br />Rule 4 Performance Standards 4-46 Revision Date: 4/9/25 <br /> Revision No.: MR-261 <br />Woody plant density belts (for monitoring efforts) will be extended parallel to the ground cover <br />transects for a distance of 50 meters and width of 2 meters. (If the grid distance is less than 50 <br />meters, density belts will be reconfigured to be 4 m X 25 m or similar configuration, but always <br />totaling 100 m2.) <br /> <br />Determination of Ground Cover <br />Ground cover at each sampling site will be determined utilizing the point-intercept methodology. <br />This methodology will be applied as follows: First, a transect 10 meters in length will be extended <br />from the starting point of each sample site toward the direction of the next site to be sampled. <br />Then, at each one-meter interval along the transect, a “laser point bar”, “optical point bar” or 10- <br />point frame will be situated vertically above the ground surface, and a set of 10 readings recorded <br />as to hits on vegetation (by species), litter, rock (>2mm), or bare soil. Hits will be determined at <br />each meter interval as follows: <br /> <br />1. When a laser point bar is used, a battery of 10 specialized lasers situated along the bar at <br />10-centimeter intervals will be activated and the variable intercepted by each of the narrow <br />(0.02”) focused beams will be recorded; <br /> <br />2. If an optical point bar is used, intercepts will be recorded based on the item intercepted by <br />fine crosshairs situated within each of 10 optical scopes located at 10-centimeter intervals. <br /> <br />3. If a 10-point frame is used, sharpened pins will be used to determine intercepts at 10- <br />centimeter intervals. Care will be taken to NOT record “side touches” on the pins as this will <br />result in a significant overestimation error. <br /> <br />The following sampling rules should apply during data collection. Intercepts will be recorded for <br />the first (typically highest) current annual (alive during the current growing season) plant part <br />intercepted without regard to underlying intercepts or attachment to a living base except when <br />multiple strata are present. In this circumstance, multiple live hits may be recorded, but only one <br />hit per stratum with the second live hit being recorded separately and not used to calculate total <br />ground cover. Otherwise, the intercept will be litter, rock or bare soil. Rock intercepts are based <br />on a particle size of 2 mm or larger (NRCS definition), otherwise it would be classified as bare <br />soil. To distinguish between current year senescent plant material and litter (including standing <br />dead), the following rule should apply: 1) if the material is gray or faded tan it should be <br />considered litter; and 2) if the material is bright yellow or beige it should be considered current <br />annual (alive) and recorded by species. On occasion, experience with non-conforming taxa may <br />override this rule. <br /> <br />When using laser or optic instruments during windy field conditions, the observer should <br />consistently utilize one of the following techniques for determining a hit: 1) record the first item <br />focused upon that is intercepted by the narrow laser beam or cross-hair; 2) wait a few moments <br />and record the item intercepted for the longest time, or 3) block the wind and record the intercept. <br />When using a pin frame, the observer must wait for the wind to subside. <br /> <br />With regard to gaps in the overstory, the point-intercept procedure naturally corrects for <br />overestimations created by 2-dimensional areal (quadrat) or 1-dimensional linear (line-intercept)