Herb cover measurements. Cover of herbs, including mosses, liverworts, ferns, grasses, sedges, and other vascular plants were quantified using Daubenmire microplots (50 cm 20 cm) systematically spaced along the 50 m transect. Initially a microplot was placed at the start of each meter along the transect. After the first two samplings (spring and summer), the microplots were placed at the start of each odd meter (e.g., 1, 3, 5 m). It is likely that the microplots were consistently placed within a 50 cm in part due to variations in where the tape measure was initially placed, large unavoidable objects (e.g., logs, tip-up mounds), etc. Comparison of different measurements tend to show consistency in patches of the various species.
Cover was estimated using six classes >0 to 5, 5-25, 25-50, 50-75, 75-95, and >95%. Each species was estimated on its own, therefore total cover can exceed 100%. Mosses and liverworts were combined in some measurements, but in others the individual species were recorded to the extent possible. In some years, the cover of logs, bare soil, and other surface features were recorded in part to document disturbances to the ground surfaces.
Shrub cover. The start and stop point of shrubs was noted along the transect. In theory any shrub canopy crossing the 50 m transect was to be recorded. However, in a practical sense the cover was generally >10 cm in length. The way that vine maple was considered varied. In some cases all vine maple canopy was used including that of small trees far above the transect. In other cases, only the vine maple below head height was included. All other shrub species were consistently measured. There were difficulties in distinguishing several Vaccinium species (alaskaense and ovatum). These were lumped together as Vaccinium alaskaense).
Tree regeneration. Tree seedlings and saplings less than 5 cm diameter at breast height were counted along a 50 m by 1 m belt transect. The count was divided into six height classes: 10-25 cm, 25-50 cm, 50-75 cm, 75-100 cm, 100-150 cm, and >150 cm but less than 5 cm DBH. The count numbers are highly variable, in part because where the transect crossed logs (the primary tree regeneration location) varied and this could greatly influence the count. Attempts to mark the seedlings were not successful. The most variable counts were for the shortest size classes. These data should be used not so much to determine seedling, sapling density, as much as the relative proportions of species and size classes.
