- The goal of the summer was to visit as many Continuous Forest Inventory (CFI) or other maintained forest plots within the state. Forested areas within the state were studied to find whether plots were established, if the landowner would allow crews to acquire information about the plots and what type of tree cover exists throughout the forest. Campus properties were visited first due to the nature of the plots and the ease of planning visits.
- Through the summer, crews visited Heiberg Forest, Huntington Memorial Forest, Pack Demonstration Forest, Ninham Forest and Lennox Forest.
- The base station was positioned on a predetermined, nearby point of known coordinates. These control points were of the highest order that could be found in the vicinity each forest. Information on control points can be found at the Federal Base Network page.
- Visits to specific CFI plots were predetermined; for the campus properties, field data sheets were used to determine which plots had desired forest cover types. If possible, each area within a forest to be visited had at least a few plots to ensure the most efficient collection of data. For other properties visited, outside sources were consulted in order to determine which types of plots were in each forested area.
- Each forest had distinct differences; Heiberg Forest had plots that were nominally 14 chains apart with blue flagging attached to a metal rod locating the center of the plot. Each plot was a 1/10 acre circular plot. The reference sheets provided a few reference points (with azimuths and distances) to locate the center of the plot. There were a few roads that allowed for easier hiking to some plots. Huntington Forest contained plots that were 20 chains apart. Each plot was a 1/5 acre circular plot. The grid lines were all flagged with orange paint on the trees, and plot center references were given from the grid intersections (generally plot centers are 1.5 chains due north of grid intersections). Red flagging tied to small metal markers indicated plot centers, and these markers were generally buried under forest debris. Few roads could be used to locate the plots. This necessitated the clumping of plots that were to be visited more and allowed less freedom to choose which forest types to visit. Pack Forest was comprised of plots that were 16 chains apart, as measured on a map, with the same center markings as Huntington. Each plot was a 1/24 acre circular plot. The reference data was provided in a similar fashion as Heiberg; there were a couple of different references for each plot provided from a relatively easily located point near the plot. Unlike Heiberg, Pack forest compartments are blazed, and the reference points used to locate plot centers are often compartment corner monuments. Pack was a much smaller forest than either Heiberg or Huntington. Ninham and Lennox forests were small demonstration forests. Both forests had plots that were two chains apart with the center marked by a metal rod. Reference sheets were not as crucial for these forests due to the proximity of the plots to each other.
- Crews carried data sheets containing plot and individual tree information as well as maps of the forest and compasses to aid in locating the CFI plots. The magnetic declination was set for each area visited. This allowed for the crews to better use the reference sheets. The references for campus properties were given in Grid North azimuths, while the references for Ninham Mountain and Lennox forests were given in magnetic azimuths.
- From the reference sheets for each forest, the plot references were usually provided using chains as the measuring unit. To better locate plots, each crewmember determined how many of their paces equaled one chain. This allowed for a better idea of where each plot should be based on the plot description.
- Each crew carried two-way radios in order to keep in contact with other crews and local forest personnel. Each crew generally consisted of two project personnel, but when it was necessary for personnel to work alone, they stayed close to the other crew in the forest. Compasses were also carried in order to find the plots from the data sheets.
- In most forests (with the exception of Heiberg), finding the plot center after locating the plot was difficult. Using the reference sheets, the distances and azimuths from certain reference trees were measured to provide a relatively accurate location of the plot center. This small area was searched for the marker representing the center.
- Once the plot center was located, a standard procedure was followed. The GPS receiver would be placed on the plot center and left to collect data for 120 epochs with five seconds between each epoch. While the receiver was collecting data, the crew would write down information about tree type within the plot and its surrounding area and any information that would help to further describe the plot in the field book. The crews paid particular attention to whether the forest cover was similar inside the plot to the area just outside the plot. This will help determine whether reference data for a given plot will be valid for lower resolution imagery. Commonly, three pictures would be taken with a digital camera; one of the canopy directly above the GPS antenna and two more side shots of the plot to give an idea of what the plot and its surroundings look like.
- In the event that a plot center could not be located, the GPS receiver was set up near a reference tree within the plot. The distance and azimuth from the reference tree were noted, allowing for a later calculation adjustment to move the point collected to where the plot center should be located. This was possible due to the reference data associated with each reference tree; the azimuth and distance from each reference tree to the plot center were known.
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