The goal of the study was to measure tree, shrub, and herb biomass and other parameters for stands of different ages that were unbiased by site selection. These data provide a baseline of information on the structure and composition of naturally regenerated PSME forests in the Western Cascades from which studies of succession and forest productivity changes over time can be made.
Charles B. Halpern, Jerry F. Franklin, Kari B. O'Connell, Mark E. Harmon, Mark W. Klopsch, Robert J. Pabst, Steven A. Acker
The terrestrial vegetation plots are designed to meet a number of LTER needs in mature and old growth forests including (1) tree growth and mortality information, (2) biomass information for both overstory and understory, and (3) leaf area estimates to test leaf area hypothesis. Additionally, the sampling must include baseline environmental information to evaluate the measurements.