RAINFOR protocol (Salicaceae)

Knowledge graph centered on RAINFOR protocol (Salicaceae) with 40 nodes and 127 connections. Top connected: Spruce, Asteraceae, Populus, Artemisia, Populus tremuloides.

Method synopsis

Standardized protocol for assessing tree health status using categories of healthy, damaged, and dead based on crown condition, structural integrity, and cambium viability via scratch test.

Synthesized from method descriptions across 1 paper using this protocol.

Procedure from a recent peer-reviewed implementation

Steps below were extracted from the most recent peer-reviewed implementation of this protocol in the corpus — Cytotype and genotype predict mortality and recruitment in Colorado quaking aspen (<i> Populus tremuloides </i>) (2021), Ecological Applications. Implementations in other papers (listed below) may differ.

1. Census demography
   Single census June-August 2018 recording nearest ten adult stems of any species (alive or standing dead) from center tree. Stems included if DBH >5cm at 130cm above ground (adjusted up/down in 55/5533 cases to avoid damaged segments). Recorded DBH, x/y coordinates using laser rangefinder and electronic compass, and health code following RAINFOR protocol: healthy (alive standing/leaning), damaged (alive with unrecoverable damage: dead crown, major breaks, lying down, major wounding signs), or dead (standing but no canopies, bark, or non-green cambium by scratch test).
   Quantities: 11 trees per plot (center + 10 nearest), except 1 mountain summit plot with single tree. Mean plot radius 5.6m ± 2.2 s.d. Plots contained 9.0 ± 1.9 healthy, 0.7 ± 1.0 damaged, 1.3 ± 1.5 dead stemsDuration: June-August 2018, single censusConditions: Field season timing during growing season
   Equipment: laser rangefinder, electronic compass (LaserTech TruPulse 360R), scratch test tools

Typical Equipment

• scratch test tools

Output Measurements

• tree health categories
• mortality status

Papers Using This Protocol (1)

Species Studied With This Protocol