Sampling Strategy for Area within Lois Hole Centennial Provincial Park

Sampling Site: Eastside of John E. Poole Wetland, Alberta

Date: 09-22-2023

Sampling method: 5 line transect samples of 102 ft each were sampled. Subsamples along the transects of 6×6 ft quadrats were marked out for sampling.  Within each quadrat, the number of Dogwood shrubs was counted and recorded to calculate the density of the species and the species’ absence/presence. Each transect length extended from the park edge toward the emergent plant zone of the wetland.

Species sampled: Cornus sericea, Red osier dogwood.

I did encounter some difficulties while collecting my data. The difficulties that I encountered implementing my sampling strategy were:

There was an accumulation of dead leaves on the ground surrounding the bottoms of the dogwoods. This impeded my sampling when counting individual dogwoods. It was more challenging to determine which dogwood shrubs were single saplings growing closely together or if the groups of stems were part of a multistemmed single shrub. 

• To overcome this challenge in future sampling, I plan to bring gloves and a small garden tool to brush leaves away from the base of the shrubs.

When stringing out the line transect for each sample, I encountered other larger trees and shrubs that intersected the sampling area and made it difficult to navigate through the dense bush (rose bushes) and lay the transect line flat. 

• To overcome this challenge in future sampling, I will find some heavier gauged rope and wear proper clothing to protect my body from the bush. 

The length of the transect created a lengthy setup and data collection time. I started in the late afternoon, and by the time I finished my fifth line transect, it was getting dark and more difficult to move through the denser vegetative areas.  I also noticed adjacent to my last transect what appeared to be a smaller animal’s den in the ground under some dead wood. This made me leery of the potential encounter with an animal that wouldn’t particularly appreciate my proximity (shunk or weasel). 

• To overcome this challenge in future sampling, I am going to make use of a premeasured subsample tool (meter stick) to enable me to measure out the subsample area quickly. I will ensure that I make enough noise not to startle animals and plan my sampling earlier in the day.

The sampling strategy I used was too time-intensive, and I collected more subsamples than I needed to. I could have collected half the samples and relied on calculations to estimate the density of the dogwood species. 

• I will modify my sampling strategy to use a predetermined length of transect rope and a meter stick to quickly measure out a sampling area along the entire transect length to determine the density of the shrub.

The day I sampled was cool, and there was the odd snowflake falling. I did not dress up enough, and I was pretty cold by the end of the sampling. In the next sampling sessions, there will be snow that will further impede my ability to differentiate between the multistemmed individuals and stemmed individuals. 

• To overcome the near future snow covering, I have to preplan my fieldwork and ensure my sampling is completed fairly quickly in November.

I did not preplan my data sheets properly before arriving to collect the data. This made my sampling time longer as I was creating most of the tables in the field. The data sheets, as a result, were not as organized as I wanted. 

• In future sampling, I will fully prepare datasheets, sampling plans and sampling tools before heading out to the field.

My line transects extended from 0 ft to 102 ft. There was potentially wasted effort in my sample from 0 ft to ~ 42 ft as four out of five samples did not have any presence of dogwood. 

• I will investigate whether these subsamples are relevant to the final hypothesis that I fall on.

The rope I used to create my 6x6ft subsamples blended into the dead foliage on the ground. The pictures that I took of the sectioned-off subsamples were barely detectable in the photos.

•  I will use a brightly coloured rope with a heavier gauge in future sampling.

I realized after that I should have collected the GPS coordinates of my samples. This data will probably be useful if I make correlations of species densities relative to human disturbances. 

• I will collect GSP coordinates and measurements for transects, disturbance edges (walking trails, park edge), and canopy edges for potential discussion in research findings.

During my sampling, I realized that the greatest density of the dogwood species was found closer to the middle of the canopy and sharply decreased as I entered into the emergent plant zone of the wetland, which was also correlated to the edge of the canopy of the forest. Most dogwood shrubs were less than 1.5 meters tall, and animals had browsed the tops of the stems. This browsing observation connects to the ungulate bedding in the tall grasses in the emergent plant zone adjacent to the upland. 

Due to the cooler temperatures and the snow cover, I will not change the species or the approach used to collect my data for my research. Instead, I will use the sampling tweaks that I mentioned above with each difficulty that I encountered. I will collect more measurement data in my sampled areas to make correlations on the dogwood densities in my research. Since I couldn’t identify willow species accurately, I will focus on the red dogwood species densities in the area I have selected to study.