Vegetation measuring continues this week; this coming Thursday is our last "veg" day. In addition to structural measurements, we've spent several days of "destructive sampling", used to more accurately gauge biomass. This type of work is considered more accurate than structural measurements alone, but obviously is a bit of an eyesore when it is complete. We're lucky that the Thakadu owners are avid supporters of research and willing to allow us to perform this type of work.
Axes, pangas (similar to a machete) and clippers all are part of the destructive sampler's repertoire.
Sometimes no tool is needed: just brute force!
The slightly tedious side of this work is that every stem, no matter how large or small, must be measured and weighed in the field. Carrying the table out to the plots is an added fun task.
For all the efforts in the field there are equally important behind-the-scenes tasks; here, the team focuses on data entry (unanimously the least favorite task thus far).
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