Forest Volume Relative to Cartographic Boundaries and Sample Spacing, Unit Size and Type

A 100-m-by-100-m (1 ha) square study area was established in the boreal forest of Quebec, Canada. The area was selected because of the presence of roughly equal amounts of three distinct forest types as identified from aerial photographs through subjective human interpretation. Within the study area, the position of every tree having a diameter breast height (dbh) of 9.1 cm and larger was determined in x- and y-coordinates. Sample units of various sizes and types were then established at a variety of spacings within the study area and the forest volume determined for each. A variety of analyses was conducted on each spacing/sample unit size and type combination to assess the nature of forest volume across cartographic boundaries. It was determined that at closer spacings and/or in using larger sample units, forest volume behaves as a continuum. However, the nature of the change in volume across forest stand boundaries was not (as was expected a priori) a gradual decrease in volume from a high volume stand...

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