Understory Monitoring - Sierra Nevada Ecoregion - SMP/EBM [ds1064]

Data on percent cover of species of woody shrubs from the Sierra Monitoring Project (SMP)/Ecoregional Biodiversity Monitoring (EBM) project. Tree species cover from stems smaller than 4 inches diameter-at-breast-height is included. Percent cover is recorded in eight categories: none (species was not detected within plot), less than 1, 1-5, 6-15, 16-25, 26-50, 51-75, and greater than 75 percent. In rare instances where a species was noted but percent cover was not recorded, the code PNQ denotes present, not quantified. A value of -999 indicates missing data. Species names follow the Jepson Flora Project (Baldwin, B. G., D. J. Keil, S. Markos, B. D. Mishler, R. Patterson, T. J. Rosatti, and D. H. Wilken, eds.) [2014] Jepson eFlora, http://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/IJM.html [Last accessed on October 2016]. Species codes follow the USDA PLANTS database: http://plants.usda.gov/ [Last accessed December 2014]. Data were collected within 0.1-acre (0.040 ha) plots in the northern Sierra Nevada ecoregion. Randomly located plots above 3000 feet elevation were selected, one per USDA Forest Service Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) hexagon, stratified in 6 elevation zones: 3-4k, 4-5k, 5-6k, 6-7k, 7-8k, and 8,000+ feet, and constrained to fall more than 100m from roads. In the publicly-accessible data, location data will be restricted to FIA hexagon centers: actual plot locations are within 2.7 km of these points; and elevation, slope, aspect and other environmental data are accurate to the true location. Collected during growing seasons 2009-2016 by California Department of Fish and Wildlife (originally Fish and Game), North Central Region, Resource Assessment Program. Counties included are: Plumas, Butte, Yuba, Sierra, Nevada, Placer, El Dorado, Amador, Calaveras, and Alpine. Because of access constraints, plots fall primarily on public lands several random points selected that fell on private lands had to be rejected due to denial of access. Plots that were excessively steep (>35 degree slope), too close to development, with unsafe access, or requiring more than 5 hours hiking time were rejected for safety or practical reasons. When plots were rejected, another random selection was made in the same hexagon from the same elevation stratum, if possible.

Access Constraints: Restrict access to location data: plot latitude and longitude should be hidden to the public. Hexagon-center location is public and may be accessed.

Use Constraints: Consult the contact person regarding use of these data; and any use of the data must include explicit acknowledgement of the project, CDFW, USFWS, and the primary personnel

Disclaimer: The State makes no claims, promises, or guarantees about the accuracy, completeness, reliability, or adequacy of these data and expressly disclaims liability for errors and omissions in these data. No warranty of any kind, implied, expressed, or statutory, including but not limited to the warranties of non-infringement of third party rights, title, merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, and freedom from computer virus, is given with respect to these data.