Instruction on ancillary vegetation measurements in forest
Download the last version and the previous versions of the Instruction on Ancillary Vegetation Measurements in Forest, including Green Area Index, DHP, Above Ground Biomass and Litter Biomass. This Instruction is based on the following ICOS protocols:
- Gielen et al. “Ancillary Vegetation Measurements in Forest”
and published in: Gielen et al. (2018) Ancillary vegetation measurements at ICOS ecosystem stations. Int. Agrophys., 32(4): 645–664. doi: 10.1515/intag-2017-0048
The Instruction document can be cited as:
Gielen, B., Op de Beeck, M., Michilsens, F., & Papale, D. (2017). ICOS Ecosystem Instructions for Ancillary Vegetation Measurements in Forest (Version 20200330). ICOS Ecosystem Thematic Centre. https://doi.org/10.18160/4ajs-z4r9
The procedure for the Digital Hemispherical Pictures use for GAI estimation requires a tool for the characterization of the camera and lens that is available here: download
Instruction document history and download
| Version |
Changes respect to the previous |
20211109
download... |
Clarification on AGB understorey destructive collection and on allometry of saplings. Removal of automatic dendrometer where a specific Instruction is under preparation. Added clarifications in different parts. |
| 20200330 |
Correction of litter trap location in Appendix C and clarification on reporting locations. |
| 20200316 |
Clarified section on DHP sky and light requirements. Updated figure 2 for temporal sampling. Changed understorey AGB plant type from ‘flowering herb’ to ‘herb’. Changed requirement for shrub AGB measurement to destructive. Added line on measuring slope of plot. Remark on yearly litter area measurement. Note on how to report coarse litter transect angle. Clarified that litter values must be reported per square meter. Updated reference to DHP optical center tool. Changed minimum timing requirements for collecting data to fixed timing requirements. |
| 20191123 |
Added clarification in DHP measurement and calibration section. Updated calculation of maximum radius. Added details for rounding calculated numbers in AGB. Added clarification on sampling design for understorey AGB measurements. Added brush wire method for mosses. Updated temporal sampling design for litter. Clarified section on AGB reporting of saplings and shrubs. Added section on allometric relations. |
| 20180131 |
Added that the real location of DHP, ceptometer and litter trap must be measured and reported (added Appendix C). Litter section reorganized and measurements simplified. Added information about the Submission of BADM variables. |
| 20170911 |
Clarified the reporting of species composition for AGB of the understorey, clarification of true North instead of Magnetic North, clarification of Health status. |
| 20170902 |
Clarified the calculation of LMA ratio in non-woody litter biomass and changed to one litter trap per CP (instead of subsamples). |
| 20170831 |
First version |
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