Student Template

How Important is this Tree?

Characterizing Forests by Point-Quarter Sampling:
Determining Importance Values

By Jim Serach, Lawrence Academy, Groton, Massachusetts

(adapted from Jim Morill, Hotchkiss School, CT and Brower, Zar, & von Ende, 1998)
in conjunction with the Environmental Literacy Council Summer Lab Development Team 2004

Abstract
In this exercise, you will use the point-quarter sampling technique to determine important
community-sampling statistics of a forested woodlot.

Objectives
At the end of this lab, you will be able to
• understand and participate in basic approaches for sampling organisms
• apply transect and point-quarter sampling to an area and calculate importance values.

Introduction
Plot sampling is often used because it allows for very thorough sampling of a particular
area. However, effective plot sampling is often difficult and time consuming. Furthermore, the
accuracy and usefulness of the results for extrapolating to the whole location or habitat is
dependent upon the size, shape, and number of plots. A plotless sampling method, called point-
quarter sampling, is useful for sampling plants and other non-motile organisms. It is easy to
use in the field and is ideal for sampling using teams of 3-4 students. However, this method
should not be used if individuals are distributed non-randomly, as in plantations, as this method
may lead to underestimates (aggregated or clumped) or over estimates (highly regular plantings)
of species density.

Like plot sampling, point-quarter sampling can yield data that can be used to generate a
variety of quantitative results, including importance values and several diversity indices. The
importance value may be used to make inferences about the economic potential of stands, soil
conditions, moisture regime, and the general ecology of a site. Importance values and diversity
indices also allow one to compare sites in a given area.

Background Research
Brower, James E., Jerrold H. Zar, and Carl N. von Ende. 1998. Field and Laboratory Methods
for General Ecology. 4th. Edition. McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., Boston, MA

Materials
50 to 100 meter tape Tree Identification Guides
5 to 10 meter diameter tape Calculator
Notebook Flagging to mark points
Procedure
Your first task is to brainstorm some factors that may play a role in determining lab results. For
example, the following questions could lead your pre-lab discussions:
• Why are some trees more valuable ecologically? Why are some trees more valuable
monetarily?
• Is it possible to identify and measure all the trees in the woods?
• How could we gather accurate data without measuring all of the trees?
• What can forest composition tell you about the ecology of an area?

Your teacher will provide you with a procedure for conducting the lab activity that will be used
to determine the importance values of tree species in a wooded area. Before performing the lab
activity, you need to determine as a group what would make a tree species valuable.

Lab tips
Wear study shoes and long pants.
If your point lands on a tree, use that tree as nearest the point and measure to its center.
Make sure that you divide the area around the point evenly so that the four areas are of equal
size.

Data and Calculations

After completing the lab, you will carry out some calculations in order to determine the
importance values of the tree species in the woods. You will use this information to answer the
analysis questions. Be prepared to defend your answers in a class discussion.

Analysis and Discussion Questions

1. Which species have the highest importance values?

2. Do the importance values you calculated match your perceptions about which species are most
important in this community? Why?

3. In what types of ecological communities would measurement and accuracy be greatest for the
point-quarter technique? Describe a community in which this method would be useless to use in.

4. An Importance Value for Red Oak (Quercus rubra), a commercially important lumber species,
is 1.2, calculated from the following values:

RF = 0.1 RD = 0.3 RC = 0.8

As a professional forester, how would you interpret these numbers? Is there something in this
stand that is favorable for making money?
5. An importance value for Sugar Maple (Acer saccharum) is 1.6, calculated from the following
values:

RF = 0.8 RD = 0.6 RC = 0.2

As a forester or forest ecologist working for a large logging company, how do you interpret these
values?

6. Describe some of the limitations of Importance Values found in this way. What assumptions
do you have to make? What information is lost as you do this calculation? How do mistakes in
the field measurements affect Importance Values?
 Teacher Template

How Important is this Tree?

Characterizing Forests by Point-Quarter Sampling:
Determining Importance Values

By Jim Serach, Lawrence Academy, Groton, Massachusetts

(adapted from Jim Morill, Hotchkiss School, CT and Brower, Zar, & von Ende, 1989)
in conjunction with the Environmental Literacy Council Summer Lab Development Team 2004

Objectives
At the end of this lab, you will be able to
• understand and participate in basic approaches for sampling organisms
• apply transect and point-quarter sampling to an area and calculate importance values.

Why use this lab in an APES course?

Sampling community diversity is a necessary, but difficult, procedure in environmental
science. Performing a point quarter sampling from a transect gives students insight into the
difficulty and reliability of these measurements as well as an application of how statistical data is
applied and used in the world today. Most students are just beginning to understand the
importance of accurate and consistent measurement of ecological conditions and this application
further reinforces the importance of collecting quantitative data.

Correlation to Acorn Book

I. Interdependence of Earths Systems
E. The biosphere
3. ecosystems and change
III Renewable and Nonrenewable Resources:
F. Land
2. Agriculture and Forestry

Correlation to National Standards

Teaching Standard A: Teachers of science plan an inquiry-based science program for their
students. In doing this, teachers
• select science content and adapt and design learning curricula to meet the interests,
knowledge, understanding, abilities, and experiences of all students.

Teaching Standard B: Teachers of science guide and facilitate learning. In doing this, teachers
• focus and support inquiries while interacting with the students.
• orchestrate discourse among students about scientific ideas.
• challenge students to accept and share responsibility for their own learning.
• encourage and model skills of scientific inquiry, as well as the curiosity, openness to new
ideas and data, and skepticism that characterize science.

Teaching Standard C: Teachers of science engage in ongoing assessment of their teaching and of
student learning. In doing this, teachers
 • guide students in self-assessment.

Teaching Standard D: Teachers of science design and manage learning environments that
provide students with the time, space, and resources needed for learning science. In doing this,
teachers
• structure the time available so that students are able to engage in extended investigations
• create a setting for student work that is flexible and supportive of scientific inquiry.
• ensure a safe working environment

Teaching Standard E: Teachers of science develop communities of science learners that reflect
the intellectual rigor of scientific inquiry and the attitudes and social values conducive to science
learning. In doing this, teachers
• display and demand respect for the diverse ideas, skills, and experiences of all students
• enable students to have a significant voice in decisions about the content and context of
their work and require students to take responsibility for the learning of all members of
the community.
• nurture collaboration among students
• model and emphasize the skills, attitudes, and values of scientific inquiry.

Assessment Standard A: Assessment must be consistent with the decisions they are designed to
perform
• assessments are deliberately designed.
• assessments have explicitly stated purposes.

Assessment Standard C: The technical quality of the data collected is well matched to the
decisions and actions taken on the basis of their interpretation.
• the feature that is claimed to be measured is actually measured
• assessment tasks are authentic.
• students have adequate opportunity to demonstrate their achievements.

Unifying Concepts and Processes Standard: As a result of activities in grades K-12, all students
should develop understanding and abilities aligned with the following concepts and processes:
• systems, order, and organization
• evidence, models, and organization
• constancy, change, and measurement

Science as Inquiry: Content Standard C: As a result of activities in grades 9-12, all students
should develop
• Interdependence of organisms.

Science in Personal and Social Perspectives: Content Standard F: As a result of activities in

grades 9-12, all students should develop understanding of:
• natural resources
• environmental quality
Introduction
Plot sampling is often used because it allows for very thorough sampling of a particular
area. However, effective plot sampling is often difficult and time consuming. Furthermore, the
accuracy and usefulness of the results for extrapolating to the whole location or habitat is
dependent upon the size, shape, and number of plots. A plotless sampling method, called point-
quarter sampling, is useful for sampling plants and other non-motile organisms. It is easy to
use in the field and is ideal for sampling using teams of 3-4 students. However, this method
should not be used if individuals are distributed non-randomly, as in plantations, as this method
may lead to underestimates (aggregated or clumped) or over estimates (highly regular plantings)
of species density.

Like plot sampling, point-quarter sampling can yield data that can be used to generate a
variety of quantitative results, including importance values and several diversity indices. The
importance value may be used to make inferences about the economic potential of stands, soil
conditions, moisture regime, and the general ecology of a site. Importance values and diversity
indices also allow one to compare sites in a given area.

Using the point-quarter sampling technique, you will find the species, point-to-plant
distance, and the diameter at breast height (DBH) for the trees at each point along a defined
transect. These data can be used to calculate, for a much larger area than you sampled, and
importance value (IV) for each of your tree species. The IV for a species is:

Relative Frequency + Relative density + Relative Coverage

or,

IV = RF + RD + RC

Group Size Three to Five students

Lab Length
One period (45-55 minutes) to introduce idea of sampling and explain sampling
procedure. If students are unfamiliar with local tree species they will need to be taught how to
identify them using field guides. Actual specimens brought to class as examples is suggested.

About 60 to 120 minutes to carry out sampling of plots depending on number of transects
and plots. Each group needs a minimum of 7 – 10 plots for sufficient data.

One period (45-55 minutes) to calculate IV values and answer the analysis questions and
discuss findings. The calculation of IV values and answering of the analysis questions may be
done as homework.
Preparation and Prep Time
Prepare photocopies of student handouts (Appendix 1 Procedure, Appendix 2 Data and
Calculations, Appendix 3 Point Quarter Sampling Data Sheet, as well as Appendix 4 Relations
between Diameter and Basal Area if your are not having students calculate this). Arrange for
permission for fieldtrip or access to woods if needed. Materials needed to conduct sampling need
to be purchased and available prior to beginning fieldwork.

Materials and Equipment

50 to 100 meter tape Tree Identification Guides
5 to 10 meter diameter tape Calculator
Notebook Flagging to mark points

Suppliers
Forestry Suppliers, Inc.
Ben Meadows
National Arbor Day Foundation (tree identification guides)
Peterson Field Guides

Safety and Disposal None

Teaching Tips
General Tips
a. Be sure to obtain permission for access to woodlot if needed. Permission for field trips in
some school districts need to obtained a couple of months in advance for paperwork to be
completed and approval given.
b. Remind students that if a plant has leaves of three, let them be. If a plant has 3 leaflets do not
touch it, pick it, or smell it. It may appear as a vine, as a freestanding plant or bush, or a scraggly
bush. It is Rhus radicans, poison ivy. In the western US it is Toxicodendron diversilobum,
poison oak. Its leaves may be a glossy green to gold to scarlet.
c. Be careful in leaf litter. Avoid stepping on animals or sneaking up on them. It’s their home,
not yours. Do not make any animal, vertebrates especially, but also some invertebrates,
uncomfortable in its home. They could make you uncomfortable before you can get home.
d. Only those stems taller than breast height (1.37 m; 4.5 ft) are generally included. If you are
only interested in larger trees you can choose to limit your inventory to those stems over a
specified diameter.
e. Keep track of all students. Do not let students wander to far into the woods without your
knowing where they are.
f. A website has been developed to calculate importance values. (Links in resources section) If
you have access to computers this could be an option to help with calculation.
g. The data could also be imputed into an Excel spreadsheet to assist with calculations. See the
example provided on the ELC website.
Potential Sampling Problems
a. At least 7 to 10 points need to be sampled for groups to have reliable accuracy.
b. Point Quarter Sampling is based on the assumption that individual plants are randomly
distributed. This is very seldom the case. As a result, sample estimates may be biased. This
method tends to overestimate true species density when the plants are relatively regularly spaced
(e.g. pine plantation), and tends to underestimate when plants are aggregated (e.g. natural stands)
Statisticians argue that the four plants per sample point are not representative of the population.
c. In general, a larger number of shorter transacts will produce more accurate results than a
smaller number of longer transects.
d. In areas with considerable slope it may be difficult to determine accurate horizontal distances.
Possible Variations
Other sampling methods could be used and compared to the point quarter method to determine if
results are accurate and consistent or if there is a discrepancy with other sampling methods.

Sample Data

Data for individual species in an Eastern wood:

Total Density = 46.4744 trees/hectare
Species Absolute Relative Absolute Relative Absolut Relative Importance
Density Density Frequency Frequenc e Cover Value
y Cover

East. Hem .84 1.0 .61 2807.2 .0021 1.45

.0714
White Pine 1.923 .01 .04 .02 1286487 .9651 .9951
Lng Lf Pine 4.35 .01 .04 .02 599.4 .00045 .03045
Red Oak 10.0 .01 .04 .02 3109 .0023 .0323
Paper Birch 8.33 .01 .04 .02 5122.95 .0038 .0338
Red Maple 4.44 .04 .16 .10 8406 .0063 .0363
River Birch 17.36 .01 .04 .02 19781.7 .015 .045
Shrt Lf Pine 4625.0 .05 .2 .12 34.9 .000026 .030026
Sugar Maple 14.29 .02 .08 .05 6637 .0050 .035

Analysis and Discussion

This exercise could be assesses in a number of ways. Students could submit written answers to
the formal questions posed. Students could work in groups on particular questions of their own
and present their findings on a poster or PowerPoint presentation.

Answers to questions in the student handout.

1. Which species have the highest importance values? Varied answers

2. Do the importance values you calculated match your perceptions about which species are most
important in this community? Why? Varied answers. The important part of this question is their
argument defending their yes or no answer.

3. In what types of ecological communities would measurement and accuracy be greatest for the
point-quarter technique? Describe a community in which this method would be useless to use in.
Measurement and accuracy will be the greatest in natural areas that random. It would be
useless to use in a regularly spaced plantation that consisted of a monoculture like a pine
plantation.

4. An Importance Value for Red Oak (Quercus rubra), a commercially important lumber species,
is 1.2, calculated from the following values:

RF = 0.1 RD = 0.3 RC = 0.8

As a professional forester, how would you interpret these numbers? Is there something in this
stand that is favorable for making money?
The few trees are clumped together but are large and make up a majority of the coverage
of the stand. As the red oak is a commercially important lumber species the forester would be
interested in the logging of the red oak in this stand.

5. An importance value for Sugar Maple (Acer saccharum) is 1.6, calculated from the following
values:

RF = 0.8 RD = 0.6 RC = 0.2

As a forester or forest ecologist working for a large logging company, how do you interpret these
values?
The trees are numerous and common throughout the stand but are small. The forester
would not be interested in logging this stand at this point but this stand could be used to
acquiring sap for maple syrup in the future.

6. Describe some of the limitations of Importance Values found in this way. What assumptions
do you have to make? What information is lost as you do this calculation? How do mistakes in
the field measurements affect Importance Values?
Importance value provides an overall estimate or the influence or importance of a
species in a community. This value is weighted toward density, in that the number of trees
present exerts a greater effect on the index than does their size.
A critical assumption is that we have adequately sampled the area. If the area is
homogeneous in terms of diversity it would require fewer transects and plots than if it is
heterogeneous in terms of diversity. Four trees per sample plot may not be enough to adequately
describe the ecological community.
 The importance value gives no importance to biological uses as a food source, shelter,
establishing microclimates. There is no aesthetic value or other types of values attached to this
calculation.
Sampling error would affect importance values by increasing error. A class discussion of
sources of error and their effect would be appropriate to further their understanding.

References and Resources

Brower, James E., Jerrold H. Zar, and Carl N. von Ende. 1998. Field and Laboratory Methods
for General Ecology. 4th. Edition. McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., Boston, MA
Natural Resource Sampling USDA/University of Florida http://ifasstat.ufl.edu/nrs/PQC.htm
Online Calculator for Importance Values http://people.hws.edu/mitchell/PCQMHelp.html
Calculating the Area of Circles - Online Calculator http://math.about.com/library/blcirclecalculator.htm
A Field Guide to Eastern Trees: Eastern United States and Canada, Including the Midwest, 1998,
Second Edition, Peterson Field Guides
Appendix 1

Using the point-quarter sampling technique, you will find the species, point-to-plant
distance, and the diameter at breast height (DBH) for the trees at each point along a defined
transect. These data can be used to calculate, for a much larger area than you sampled, and
importance value (IV) for each of your tree species. The IV for a species is:

Relative Frequency + Relative density + Relative Coverage

or,

IV = RF + RD + RC

Procedure

1. Lay out a 100-meter line (longer or shorter may be required) and choose a first point so that it
is well within the forest. You should choose successive points along the line far enough apart to
prevent sampling the same trees. Measure a certain distance between points, e.g., 20 meters.

2. Mark the point on the ground and divide the working area into four quarters by visualizing a
second line through the point that is perpendicular to the first line, i.e.

3. At each point select the closest tree in each of the four quarters. Record the species of each
tree in the data table. Then measure and record the distance of each tree from the point (in
meters). Obtain the diameter of the tree (round off to the nearest cm) at breast height (about 4 1/2
feet up from the ground). Four trees will be measured at each point. Record the data in your field
notebook. (If you are using the Point Quarter Sampling Data Sheet in the field note that the
information from the four trees at one point is entered vertically down the page.) Work should be
divided up so that all team members get to experience each aspect of the exercise. In other
words, don’t make one person record data for the entire lab exercise!

4. Repeat this for each quarter and for each point along your transect.
Appendix 2

Data and Calculations

1. Complete the point summary data and calculate the total point-to-plant distance. This will
give a measure of the area sampled.

2. Calculate RELATIVE FREQUENCY (RF). Count the number of points where a species
occurs at least once and divide this by the number of points. For example, if there are six points
and red maple occurs in four of them, the RF is 4/6, expressed in the decimal form. 0.67. This
gives a measure of distribution or spacing of a species (rare vs. common).

3. Calculate RELATIVE DENSITY (RD). Count the number of trees of a given species found
along your transect, and express that number as a fraction of all trees counted. For example, if
there are 6 points, you collected data on a total of 24 trees (6 points X four trees/point). If there
are 12 hemlocks, then the RD for hemlock is 12/24, or 0.50. This expresses the overall
abundance of a given species in the woods.

4. Calculate Relative Coverage (RC). Relative coverage is the basal area for a species as a
fraction of the total basal area for all species sampled in an area. The basal area of a tree is the
area of a circular section of the stem taken at 4.5 feet and is determined from the DBH or
circumference. The basal area, and therefore, relative coverage, is a measure of the dominance of
the species (i.e., how much of the forest canopy is occupied, or dominated by a species). Carry
out the following steps to find RC

a. d the average point-to-plant distance (d) for along your transect

d = ∑di / total number of trees

b. Find the average area occupied by a tree by squaring d.

average area = d2

c. Calculate how many trees would occur in 1 hectare of woods:

(Note: 1 ha = 10,000 m2)
1 tree = X trees
d2 10,000 m2/ha

d. Calculate the number of trees of EACH SPECIES in 1 hectare of woods.

(total number of trees in 1km2 woods) (RD for the species)

e. Find the average DBH for EACH SPECIES:

∑ DBH for species / # of trees that species
f. Find the basal area (BA) for EACH SPECIES based on average DBH using the conversion
table (Appendix 4) or from calculations (BA = π (average DBH/2)2) .

g. Find the coverage for EACH SPECIES

(BA) (number of trees of that species from (d.) above)

h. Find the Relative Coverage for EACH SPECIES:

Coverage for a species / total for all coverages

The highest importance value (IV) for a species is 3.0. Calculate IV for each of your species.
Appendix 3
Point Quarter Sampling Data Sheet
Date ____________________ Group Members _______________________________________
Habitat _______________________________________________________________________
Location ______________________________________________________________________
Number of points sampled ________________________________________________________

Diameter or
Point Number Quarter Species circumference Area covered Point-to-plant
Number (cm) (cm2) distance (m)

1 1

1 2

1 3

1 4

2 1

2 2

2 3

2 4

3 1

3 2

3 3

3 4
Appendix 4 Relations between diameter and basal area
Diameter Basal Area Diameter Basal Area Diameter Basal Area
1.00 0.79 5.00 19.63 9.00 63.62
1.10 0.95 5.10 20.43 9.10 65.04
1.20 1.13 5.20 21.24 9.20 66.48
1.30 1.33 5.30 22.06 9.30 67.93
1.40 1.54 5.40 22.90 9.40 69.40
1.50 1.77 5.50 23.76 9.50 70.88
1.60 2.01 5.60 24.63 9.60 72.38
1.70 2.27 5.70 25.52 9.70 73.90
1.80 2.54 5.80 26.42 9.80 75.43
1.90 2.84 5.90 27.34 9.90 76.98

2.00 3.14 6.00 28.27 10.00 78.54

2.10 3.46 6.10 29.22 10.10 80.12
2.20 3.80 6.20 30.19 10.20 81.71
2.30 4.15 6.30 31.17 10.30 83.32
2.40 4.52 6.40 32.17 10.40 84.95
2.50 4.91 6.50 33.18 10.50 86.59
2.60 5.31 6.60 34.21 10.60 88.25
2.70 5.73 6.70 35.26 10.70 89.92
2.80 6.16 6.80 36.32 10.80 91.61
2.90 6.61 6.90 37.39 10.90 93.31

3.00 7.07 7.00 38.48 11.00 95.03

3.10 7.55 7.10 39.59 11.10 96.77
3.20 8.04 7.20 40.72 11.20 98.52
3.30 8.55 7.30 41.85 11.30 100.29
3.40 9.08 7.40 43.01 11.40 102.07
3.50 9.62 7.50 44.18 11.50 103.87
3.60 10.18 7.60 45.36 11.60 105.68
3.70 10.75 7.70 46.57 11.70 107.51
3.80 11.34 7.80 47.78 11.80 109.36
3.90 11.95 7.90 49.02 11.90 111.22

4.00 12.57 8.00 50.27 12.00 113.10

4.10 13.20 8.10 51.53 12.10 114.99
4.20 13.85 8.20 52.81 12.20 116.90
4.30 14.52 8.30 54.11 12.30 118.82
4.40 15.21 8.40 55.42 12.40 120.76
4.50 15.90 8.50 56.74 12.50 122.72
5.60 24.63 8.60 58.09 12.60 124.69
4.70 17.35 8.70 59.45 12.70 126.68
4.80 18.10 8.80 60.82 12.80 128.68
4.90 18.86 8.90 62.21 12.90 130.70
To convert values outside the range of those given above, simply divide or multiply by a power of ten that will result in a value
within the range. For example, if one has a diameter of 210 centimeters, it can be divided by 100 to obtain 2.1 cm, which is in
the table. The desired basal area is then the area for a diameter of 2.1 cm multiplied by the factor of 100 (3.46 X 100 = 346 cm2)
DATE OBSERVERS
HABITAT

LOCALITY

Input the following:

Total pts ( k ) Sum d Avg d A
#DIV/0! #DIV/0!

Species Number of Relative Absolute No. Points Frequency Relative Average Basal Coverage Relative Importance
Individuals Density Density with plants Frequency Area Coverage Value
(i) (n) (RD) (D) (j) (f) (RF) (a) (C) (RC) (IV)

White Pine #DIV/0! #DIV/0! #DIV/0! #DIV/0! #DIV/0! #DIV/0! #DIV/0!

Red Pine #DIV/0! #DIV/0! #DIV/0! #DIV/0! #DIV/0! #DIV/0! #DIV/0!
Tamarack #DIV/0! #DIV/0! #DIV/0! #DIV/0! #DIV/0! #DIV/0! #DIV/0!
Red Maple #DIV/0! #DIV/0! #DIV/0! #DIV/0! #DIV/0! #DIV/0! #DIV/0!
Sugar Maple #DIV/0! #DIV/0! #DIV/0! #DIV/0! #DIV/0! #DIV/0! #DIV/0!
Black Oak #DIV/0! #DIV/0! #DIV/0! #DIV/0! #DIV/0! #DIV/0! #DIV/0!
Red Oak #DIV/0! #DIV/0! #DIV/0! #DIV/0! #DIV/0! #DIV/0! #DIV/0!
Swamp Oak #DIV/0! #DIV/0! #DIV/0! #DIV/0! #DIV/0! #DIV/0! #DIV/0!
White Ash #DIV/0! #DIV/0! #DIV/0! #DIV/0! #DIV/0! #DIV/0! #DIV/0!
Black Birch #DIV/0! #DIV/0! #DIV/0! #DIV/0! #DIV/0! #DIV/0! #DIV/0!
Paper Birch #DIV/0! #DIV/0! #DIV/0! #DIV/0! #DIV/0! #DIV/0! #DIV/0!
Slippery Elm #DIV/0! #DIV/0! #DIV/0! #DIV/0! #DIV/0! #DIV/0! #DIV/0!
#DIV/0! #DIV/0! #DIV/0! #DIV/0! #DIV/0! #DIV/0! #DIV/0!
#DIV/0! #DIV/0! #DIV/0! #DIV/0! #DIV/0! #DIV/0! #DIV/0!
#DIV/0! #DIV/0! #DIV/0! #DIV/0! #DIV/0! #DIV/0! #DIV/0!
Totals 0 #DIV/0! #DIV/0! #DIV/0! #DIV/0! #DIV/0! #DIV/0! #DIV/0!
Total Species 0 Total f #DIV/0! Total Coverages #DIV/0!