EUCALYPTUS STAND SAMPLE PLOTS COMPARED: FIXED AREA AND FIXED NUMBER OF TREES

Abstract

ABSTRACT This study compares sampling methods based on plots of fixed area and based on a fixed number of trees. The study was conducted in a Eucalyptus forest surveyed using three plot types: rectangular with fixed area, circular with fixed area and fixed number of trees. The estimation accuracies were evaluated for the average diameter per plot and for the number of stems, the basal area and the volume per plot. The null hypothesis of equality between the sampling methods was assessed by t-test. No significant differences were found between the three sampling methods.

Keywords

• Plots
• Forest inventory
• Methodology