Methods to Plant Ecology

To determine if there are different sized trees in different habitats we measure the diameter at breast height (dbh) of trees on a north facing slope, south facing slope and a flat. Each location was at the Mount Holyoke Range in Amherst, Massachusetts. Each site differed in steepness and direction of slope, but not longitude of latitude. The sites were located near a point on the ridge referred to as “The Notch.” This location is also where highway 116 crosses the notch. At each site, the dbh (measured to the nearest 0.1cm), and the species of each live adult tree was measured.