5th Hour.
Evaluation of Relative Importance Values of the Tree Species Found in Three Different Habitats at Weldon Springs Wildlife Area by Calculating Importance Values.
Introduction:.
While on our field trip we hoped to evaluate three different forest habitats by calculating individual tree species" importance values. We were at Weldon Springs Wildlife Area in St. Charles. We evaluated three different microhabitats: Upland East Facing Slope, Upland West Facing Slope, and River Bottomland. A microhabitat is a habitat inside of a larger, more diverse habitat like the eastern forest. We were to evaluate each microhabitat in terms of the tree species present, the number of individuals present per species, the size of the trees, and the distribution of the tree in the habitats. These four factors all together determine the importance value of a tree species. Tree species present is finding what tree species are found in the particular microhabitats. We had expectations on what species of tree we would find in the microhabitats before we went to Weldon Springs. We took note of the number of individuals per tree species found which is the population. We found the size of the tree using diameter breast height in centimeters. Also, we looked at the distribution of the tree in these three microhabitats. This field trip would give us the frequency, density, and cover of all of the trees found in the habitats.
Materials and Methods.
In order to be able to make all of the observations and collect all of the data one would need to have many supplies and methods to take and use in the forest. The materials we needed to bring were a tape measure or measuring string, paper and pen/pencil to write results, a transect string, a tree book or paper to key out particular trees. The most important resource in the forest is a knowledge of what you"re observing and looking for.
