Sep 13, 2022
Version 2
Tree Mapping for Leaf Collection Guidelines (Mont Mégantic only) V.2
- 1Université de Sherbrooke
External link: http://www.caboscience.org
Protocol Citation: Anna L Crofts, Sabine St-Jean 2022. Tree Mapping for Leaf Collection Guidelines (Mont Mégantic only). protocols.io https://dx.doi.org/10.17504/protocols.io.kxygxe97ov8j/v2Version created by Anna L Crofts
License: This is an open access protocol distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited
Protocol status: Working
We use this protocol and it's working
Created: July 05, 2022
Last Modified: September 13, 2022
Protocol Integer ID: 66020
Abstract
Here, we describe the protocol used by the Canadian Airborne Biodiversity Observatory (CABO) at Parc National du Mont Mégantic, a forested study site in southeastern Québec, to select trees for leaf-level measurements. Healthy, mature, fully sunlit leaves were harvested from permanently marked individuals distributed across the park and representing 23 species (n = 204). Harvested leaves were bulked per individual and foliar spectral reflectance measurements and a suite of foliar functional traits were quantified by the CABO foliar spectra/trait team based out of the Université de Montréal (protocol for foliar measurements described elsewhere). Additionally, height, diameter at breast height (DBH), and crown diameter were quantified for each individual. To facilitate re-location, individuals were positioned (horizontal accuracy < 2 m) and photographed. All data were collected using Fulcrum, a data collection application.
Materials
- Cellphone with Fulcrum and Trimble Catalyst mobile apps installed (Cat S41, Caterpillar Inc.)
- Field Guide (LeBoeuf, M. 2016. Arbres et plantes forestières du Québec et des Maritimes. Éditions Michel Quintin.)
- Numbered aluminum tree tags
- Hammer and nails
- Flagging Tape
- Laser rangefinder with integrated tilt and compass sensors (LaserGeo, Haglof Sweden AB)
- Diameter at Breast Height (DBH) Tape
- High precision GPS (Trimble Catalyst DA1 antenna with Trimble RTX correction service, Trimble Inc.)
Equipment
Hammer and nails
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Numbered Aluminium Tree Tags
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Laser Geo
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Haglöf Sweden
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new equipment
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Trimble Catalyst GPS, NTRIP precision subscription
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Before start
1. Field work within Parc national du Mont Mégantic requires a valid research permit. Prior to field work obtain research permit and ensure permit is being carried during field work.
- If working at a site other than Parc national du Mont Mégantic (MtMeg-1), create the site in Fulcrum prior to field work.
- If working in a project other than 2019-Crofts-PHD-UDES, create the project in Fulcrum prior to field work.
2. Ensure that the batteries of the cellphone, LaserGeo, and Trimble Catalyst are fully charged prior to field work.
Tree Selection
Tree Selection
Systematically select individuals that meet the leaf-level measurement requirements1 across the majority of species that occur within the park2. Specifically, selected individuals should:
- Have mature, healthy, and fully sunlit (exposed to >3hrs of sunlight per day) leaves,
- Not exceed a height beyond harvesting capability (target leaves located ≤ 20 m above forest floor),
- Be located within 30 mins, but ideally 15 mins, from the foliar spectra/trait team's mobile laboratory2 and,
- When possible, distribute selected individuals of the same species across the park (i.e., in both sectors and across the altitudinal gradient).
Figure 1. Sugar maple (Acer saccharum) individual selected for leaf collection along the Parcours du Soleil trail at Parc national du Mont Mégantic.
Note
1 To meet leaf-level requirements, individuals selected for leaf harvesting were distributed along trails and roads within the park (Fig. 1).
2 We aimed to select 10 individuals of abundant species and 5 individuals from less abundant species.
2 Once foliar spectra/trait team's mobile laboratory is set-up, it preferably won't be moved for the day. Spectra/trait team can process ~ 50 individuals per day.
Tag Individual
Tag Individual
For each selected individual, tag tree with a numbered aluminum tag (Fig. 2).
- Attach the numbered aluminum tag to the individual at breast height (~1.5 m) on the side of the trunk facing away from the trail.
- Partially hammer the nail on a downward angle into the individual's trunk, so the tag is not flush against the bark and the individual can continue to grow without growing around the tag.
To facilitate re-locating the individual for leaf collection, temporarily tag individual with flagging tape at breast height1.
Figure 2. Photo of a tagged striped maple (Acer pensilvanicum) along a trail in Parc national du Mont Mégantic, where the aluminum tag is on the side of the trunk facing away from the trail. Note that this individually was not tagged in an ideal manner (i.e., aluminum tag is flush against the individual's trunk).
Note
1 Remove flagging tape from individuals once leaves have been harvested and GPS locations have been updated.
Create Plant Record in Fulcrum
Create Plant Record in Fulcrum
For each selected individual, create a plant record in Fulcrum.
- Create a plant record in Fulcrum by selecting + Record within the Plants app (Fig. 3a,b).
- TAP TO SELECT PROJECT1 and select the appropriate Site2 (Fig. 3c).
- Answer YES to Plant Tagged? After selecting YES, additional fields will appear. Enter the Tag ID and assign Tag Type as aluminum tag (Fig. 3d,e).
- Under Plant Photos select the camera icon and take a picture(s) of the individual (Fig. 3e).
- If necessary, add additional comments under Plant Remarks (Fig. 3e).
- List the names of the surveyors who the plant was First Observed By (Fig. 3f).
- UPDATE LOCATION WITH GPS3 - Latitude (degrees), Longitude (degrees), Horizontal Accuracy (m), and Altitude (m) fields will automatically be filled in when Update Location with GPS is selected (Fig. 3g).
- If needed, you can apply filters but regardless, select VASCAN Taxon4 and choose a species from the drop-down list (Fig. 3h,i).
- After selecting the species, additional fields will appear. Enter the name of the surveyor who the plant was Identified By and select the Identification Protocol used (Fig. 3j). If necessary, add identification remarks.
Figure 3. Screenshots from Fulcrum mobile application CABO account. To create a new record of a plant select the Plants app from the home page (panel a) and then within the Plants app select + Record (panel b). Tap to select project that you are working with (here, project is already selected as 2019-CROFTS-PHD-UDES) and select the appropriate study site (panel c). After answering YES to Plant tagged? (panel d), additional fields will appear. Enter the Tag ID, select Aluminum tag as Tag Type, and then select the camera icon under Plant Photos to add photos of the tagged individual (panel e). List the names of the surveyors who the plant was First Observed By (panel f). Then, UPDATE LOCATION [of the individual] WITH GPS (panel g). Next, select VASCAN Taxon (panel h) from the drop down list (panel i). After, selecting the appropriate species additional fields will appear. Enter the name of the surveyor who the plant was Identified By and the appropriate Identification Protocol (panel j). Red boxes have been added to screenshots to illustrate selections. Note that Fulcrum can be used via a mobile app or desktop website and that the two are organized differently.
Note
1 Plants at Parc national du Mont Mégantic are assigned to the project 2019-CROFTS-PHD-UDES. If you are working within a different project, assign the project as appropriate.
2 Parc national du Mont Mégantic is named MtMeg-1. If you are working at a different study site, you may need to create a new site record in the Sites app assessed from the CABO account's homepage.
3 The GPS locations of plants positioned by the cellphone GPS will be ~3 m horizontal accuracy. Revisit tagged individuals to update their GPS location using a high precision GPS (detailed in Step 8 and see Trimble GPS Protocol for additional details).
4 Tree species are selected from the Database of Vascular Plant Species Canada (VASCAN) list. For some species, the Latin names in VASCAN may differ from Latin names in field guides. In these cases, VASCAN is to be considered more up to date. If you run into a species identified from a field guide that doesn’t appear in the VASCAN Taxon drop-down list in Fulcrum, look up the species on the VASCAN website to obtain the accepted species name.
Quantify Dendrometric Properities
Quantify Dendrometric Properities
For each selected individual, quantify height, diameter at breast height (DBH), and crown diameter.
In the individual's Fulcrum plant record, add plant size measurements.
- Select Size Measurements followed by + Record (Fig. 4a,b).
- Select Measurement Type and then DBH, Height, and Crown Diameter followed by DONE (Fig. 4c,d).
The measurement fields will now appear (Fig. 4e).
Figure 4. Screenshots from Fulcrum mobile application CABO account. To add size measurements to an individuals Fulcrum plant record, first select Size Measurements (panel a) and then + Record (panel b). Then select Measurement Type (panel c) and select DBH, Height, and Crown Diameter followed by DONE (panel c). Afterwards, size measurement fields will appear (panel d). Red boxes have been added to screenshots to illustrate selections. Note that Fulcrum can be used via a mobile app or desktop website and that the two are organized differently.
Use DBH tape to measure individual's DBH.
- Measure DBH at ~1.5 m1.
- Enter the DBH to DBH (cm) field in the individual's plant record in Fulcrum (Fig. 5)
Figure 5. A screenshot from Fulcrum mobile application CABO account. Enter the DBH into the DBH (cm) field in the individual's plant record in Fulcrum. The red box has been added to screenshot to illustrate selections. Note that Fulcrum can be used via a mobile app or desktop website and that the two are organized differently.
Note
1 If there is an obstruction at breast height (e.g., branch, scar tissue, forked stem), measure DBH above the obstruction.
Use LaserGeo to measure individual's height.
- To account for uneven ground, use the LaserGeo's HEIGHT 3P function that quantifies the height by measuring:
1) Distance to the individual's trunk at eye-level,
2) Angle to the base of the trunk, and
3) Angle to the tip of the individual's crown1,2,3,4 (Fig. 6a).
- Enter the height to Height (m) field in the individual's plant record in Fulcrum (Fig. 6b).
Figure 6. a) An annotated photo of a surveyor using the LaserGeo to measure the heigh of individual trees, by quantifying the distance to the individual at eye-level, the angle to the base of the trunk, and the angle to the top of the individual. b) A screenshot from Fulcrum mobile application CABO account. Enter the height into the Height (m) field in the individual's plant record in Fulcrum (panel b). The red box has been added to screenshot to illustrate selections. Note that Fulcrum can be used via a mobile app or desktop website and that the two are organized differently.
Note
1LaserGeo's HEIGHT 3P function calculates height automatically from these three measurements.
2 The taller the individual, the further the surveyor should be from its trunk for an accurate height measurement - aim to be ~ 10 m away.
3 If an individual is growing on an angle, have the other surveyor stand below the tip of the crown and calculate the height from the distance to the other surveyor at eye-level, the angle to the other surveyor's feet, and the angle to the tip of the individual's crown.
4 Before entering the height, check to make sure it is logical. If value seems improbable retake the measurement. Be sure there are no obstructions (i.e., shrubs) between you and the individual that may result in the wrong distance being measured.
Use LaserGeo to measure individual's crown diameter.
- Use the LaserGeo's DME function to measure the length of the longest crown diameter (Fig. 7a).
- Enter the crown diameter to the Crown diameter (m) field in the individual's plant record in Fulcrum (Fig. 7b).
Figure 7. a) Schematic of an individual's crown, as modelled by an ellipse. The black line represents the longest crown diameter (i.e., the dimension to quantify) and brown circle represents the individual's trunk. b) A screenshot from Fulcrum mobile application CABO account. Enter the longest crown diameter into the Crown diameter (cm) field in the individual's plant record in Fulcrum (panel b). The red box has been added to screenshot to illustrate selections. Note that Fulcrum can be used via a mobile app or desktop website and that the two are organized differently.
Save individual's size measurements in the Fulcrum App.
- Select SAVE1 once size measurements are complete (Fig. 8a).
- Exit Size Measurements by selecting the left arrow in the top left corner (Fig. 8b).
Figure 8. Screenshots from Fulcrum mobile application CABO account. Select SAVE to save the Size Measurements (panel a) and exit the size measurements by selecting the left arrow in the top left corner (panel b). The red box has been added to screenshot to illustrate selections. Note that Fulcrum can be used via a mobile app or desktop website and that the two are organized differently.
Note
1 Note that individual's size measurements will not be saved if any of the mandatory fields (denoted by the red asterisks) are left blanked or if the data are entered in a wrong format (e.g., no commas are accepted). If this occurs, the user will receive an Error Saving message detailing the mistakes. Do not choose SAVE as Draft, select OKAY to return to the individual's size measurements, fix any errors, and then SAVE.
Save Fulcrum Record
Save Fulcrum Record
- SAVE1 the individual's plant record in Fulcrum (Fig. 9a). This will return you to the Plants app (Fig. 9b).
- Sync2 Fulcrum to upload the individual's plant record online by selecting the icon of two circular arrows. This icon will spin when synchronizing is in progress (Fig. 9b).
Figure 9. Screenshots from Fulcrum mobile application CABO account. Select SAVE to save the individual's plant record in Fulcrum (panel a). Sync Fulcrum to upload individual's plant record online by selecting the two circular arrows (panel b). Red boxes have been added to screenshots to illustrate selections. Note that Fulcrum can be used via a mobile app or desktop website and that the two are organized differently.
Note
1 Note that individual's plant record will not be saved if any of the mandatory fields (denoted by the red asterisks) are left blanked or if the data are entered in a wrong format (e.g., no commas are accepted). If this occurs, the user will receive an Error Saving message detailing the mistakes. Do not choose SAVE as Draft, select OKAY to return to the individual's plant record, fix any errors, and then SAVE.
2 Some areas of Parc national du Mont Mégantic are not covered by cellular reception - be sure to sync Fulcrum once back in service.
Update GPS Position
Update GPS Position
Return to tagged individuals with Trimble Catalyst (Trimble Catalyst DA1 antenna with Trimble RTX correction service, Trimble Inc.) or alternative high-precision GPS to obtain more precise coordinates of sampled individuals. See Trimble GPS Protocol for step-wise details regarding how to use Trimble Catalyst.
- Within the Plants app in Fulcrum select the appropriate plant record (Fig. 10a,b).
- The Trimble Catalyst integrates with Fulcrum, select UPDATE LOCATION WITH GPS- Latitude (degrees), Longitude (degrees), Horizontal Accuracy (m), and Altitude (m) fields will automatically be filled in when Update Location with GPS is selected - once GPS connection is established and, ideally, horizontal accuracy is ≤ 2.0 m1 (Fig. 10c).
- Select the RECORD STATUS: PENDING VERIFICATION in the plant's Fulcrum record and change the status to VERIFIED. The colour of the Record Status bar should change from orange to blue (Fig. 10d).
- SAVE the plant's record in Fulcrum. This will return you to the the Plants app (Fig. 10d).
- Sync2 Fulcrum to upload the changes online by selecting the icon of two circular arrows. This icon will spin when synchronizing is in progress (Fig. 10e).
Figure 10. Screenshots from Fulcrum mobile application CABO account. Select Plants app (panel a) and then, select the appropriate plant record (panel b). Once GPS connection is established and the accuracy is ≤ 2.0 m, select UPDATE LOCATION WITH GPS (panel c). Then select RECORD STATUS: PENDING VERIFICATION and change it to VERIFIED (panel d). SAVE the record's updates (panel d) and sync Fulcrum by selecting the two circular arrows (panel e). Red boxes have been added to screenshots to illustrate selections. Note that Fulcrum can be used via a mobile app or desktop website and that the two are organized differently.
Note
1 Trimble Catalyst requires mobile data for on demand RTX correction service. In some areas of Parc national du Mont Mégantic there is no cellular reception and centimeter precision will therefore be unobtainable. In these circumstances, obtain most precise coordinates as possible (likely between 1 m and 2 m).
2 Some areas of Parc national du Mont Mégantic are not covered by cellular reception - be sure to sync Fulcrum once back in service.
Download Plant Record Data
Download Plant Record Data
Using the Fulcrum desktop website,
- In CABO's Fulcrum account, select Export Data as indicated by a downward facing arrow (Fig. 11a)
- Select the File Format, in Apps select Plants, in Projects select 2019-CROFTS-PHD-UDES or alternative, and then select NEXT (Fig. 11b).
- Review Export summary and select CONFIRM to download (Fig. 11c).
Figure 11. Screenshots from the Fulcrum desktop website CABO account. To download the plant recors, select Export Data as indicated by a downward facing arrow (panel a), choose the file format you prefer, and select Plants in Apps section and select the Projects of which you wish to download the data and select NEXT (panel b). Review the Export Summary and select CONFIRM to download data (panel c).
Submit Plant Record Data
Submit Plant Record Data
Once the foliar sampling campaign is complete and data has been checked, change the status of all plants to 'Submitted' in Fulcrum.
- Within the Plants app in Fulcrum select plant records (Fig. 12a,b).
- For each plant record, select the RECORD STATUS: VERIFIED in the plant's Fulcrum record and change the status to SUBMITTED. The colour of the Record Status bar should change from blue to green (Fig. 12c). Then SAVE the changes in Fulcrum. This will return you to the Plants app (Fig. 12c).
- Once the status of all appropriate plant records have been changed, Sync Fulcrum to upload the changes online by selecting the icon of two circular arrows. This icon will spin when synchronizing is in progress (Fig. 12d).
Figure 12. Screenshots from Fulcrum mobile application CABO account. Once the foliar sampling campaign is complete and data has been checked, change the status of all Plant records to Submitted. Select Plants app (panel a) and then, select the appropriate plant record (panel b). In the record, select RECORD STATUS: VERIFIED and change it to SUBMITTED (panel c). Note that the colour of the record status bar will change from blue to green. Select SAVE to save the plant record in Fulcrum (panel c). Once the record status of all plant records are Submitted, sync Fulcrum to upload changes online by selecting the two circular arrows (panel d). Red boxes have been added to screenshots to illustrate selections. Note that Fulcrum can be used via a mobile app or desktop website and that the two are organized differently.