Cover and density data of southwestern ponderosa pine understory plants in permanent chart quadrats (2002-2020+)

Metadata:
Identification_Information:
Citation:
Citation_Information:
Originator: Moore, Margaret M.
Originator: Jenness, Jeffrey S.
Originator: Laughlin, Daniel C.
Originator: Strahan, Robert T.
Originator: Bakker, Jonathan D.
Originator: Dowling, Helen E.
Originator: Springer, Judith D.
Publication_Date: 2025
Title:
Cover and density data of southwestern ponderosa pine understory plants in permanent chart quadrats (2002-2020+)
Edition: 2nd
Geospatial_Data_Presentation_Form: tabular and vector digital data
Publication_Information:
Publication_Place: Fort Collins, CO
Publisher: Forest Service Research Data Archive
Online_Linkage: https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2021-0092-2
Description:
Abstract:
This data publication includes cover and density data collected on 101 permanent 1 meter (m) x 1 m (1-m²) quadrats located within southwestern ponderosa pine ecosystems near Flagstaff, Arizona, USA. Individual plants in these quadrats were identified and mapped annually for 23 years (2002-2024). The original chart quadrats were established between 1912 and 1927. We provide the following data and data formats: (1) digitized maps of all plant locations in shapefile and geodatabase format, (2) shapefiles showing annual locations of each individual plant species, (3) exported annual maps of each quadrat in TIFF and PDF format, (4) annual basal area of each species per quadrat for species mapped as polygons, (5) tabular representation of polygon areas and centroid locations for plant species mapped as polygons, (6) tabular representation of point locations for plant species mapped as points, (7) plot-scale 20 m x 20 m overstory tree canopy cover, tree basal area, parent material, and elevation, (8) quadrat-scale information (e.g., quadrat site and number, coordinates in UTM Zone 12 and latitude/longitude, and descriptive comments for each quadrat), (9) plant species list, (10) summary of plant species observed in each quadrat, (11) summary of quadrats mapped by site and year, and (12) data formatted for use in Integral Projection Models (IPM) and plant population analyses.
Purpose:
The original chart quadrats were established to determine the effects of domestic livestock grazing on herbaceous plants and pine seedlings. Today these data provide opportunities to examine the effects of climate and land-use change on plant demography, population dynamics, and community processes.
Supplemental_Information:
For more information about this study and these data see Moore et al. (2022, https://doi.org/10.1002/ecy.3661). All associated novel code files are permanently archived in a Zenodo repository (https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.7581945).

The first edition of these data, Moore et al. (2021; https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2021-0092) contains data from 2020-2022. This second edition, published on 04/16/2025, includes data for 2023 and 2024. Modifications were made to the individual species shapefile folder names, and additional data-entry errors were found and fixed. Specifically we added “2002-2024” to all the individual species folder names to indicate that the folder contained all data between those years. On Plot 26346 we fixed an error in which the quadrat was incorrectly rotated in 2022. On Plot 30737 we fixed an error in which the quadrat was incorrectly rotated in the years 2009-2015. We found that Thinopyrum intermeidium had been historically misidentified as Pascopyrum smithii on Quadrats 3 and 30740, and that Thinopyrum intermeidium had been historically misidentified as Elymus trachycaulus on Quadrats 3, 4, 30739 and 30740. All cases were corrected to Thinopyrum intermeidium.
Time_Period_of_Content:
Time_Period_Information:
Range_of_Dates/Times:
Beginning_Date: 2002
Ending_Date: 2024
Currentness_Reference:
Ground condition
Status:
Progress: In progress
Maintenance_and_Update_Frequency: As needed
Spatial_Domain:
Description_of_Geographic_Extent:
The study area is within 40 kilometers (km) of Flagstaff, AZ. Quadrats are distributed over multiple sites, on the Coconino National Forest and Fort Valley Experimental Forest, spanning varying parent materials and topographic positions and the elevational range of the ponderosa pine ecosystem type of northern Arizona (see \Data\Ancillary_Data_CSVs\Overstory_Data_and_Quadrat_Locations.csv).

Detailed information about the study area can be found in Moore et al. (2022, https://doi.org/10.1002/ecy.3661).
Bounding_Coordinates:
West_Bounding_Coordinate: -111.84
East_Bounding_Coordinate: -111.55
North_Bounding_Coordinate: 35.07
South_Bounding_Coordinate: 35.45
Bounding_Altitudes:
Altitude_Minimum: 2070
Altitude_Maximum: 2500
Altitude_Distance_Units: meters
Keywords:
Theme:
Theme_Keyword_Thesaurus: ISO 19115 Topic Category
Theme_Keyword: biota
Theme_Keyword: environment
Theme:
Theme_Keyword_Thesaurus: National Research & Development Taxonomy
Theme_Keyword: Climate change
Theme_Keyword: Climate change effects
Theme_Keyword: Ecological adaptation
Theme_Keyword: Ecology, Ecosystems, & Environment
Theme_Keyword: Plant ecology
Theme_Keyword: Forest & Plant Health
Theme_Keyword: Botany
Theme_Keyword: Climate effects
Theme_Keyword: Human effects
Theme_Keyword: Rangeland plants
Theme_Keyword: Inventory, Monitoring, & Analysis
Theme_Keyword: Monitoring
Theme_Keyword: Natural Resource Management & Use
Theme_Keyword: Range management & grazing
Theme:
Theme_Keyword_Thesaurus: None
Theme_Keyword: chart quadrat
Theme_Keyword: demography
Theme_Keyword: forbs
Theme_Keyword: long-term study
Theme_Keyword: graminoid
Theme_Keyword: population dynamics
Place:
Place_Keyword_Thesaurus: None
Place_Keyword: Arizona
Place_Keyword: Fort Valley Experimental Forest
Place_Keyword: Coconino National Forest
Taxonomy:
Keywords/Taxon:
Taxonomic_Keyword_Thesaurus:
None
Taxonomic_Keywords: multiple species
Taxonomic_Keywords: plants
Taxonomic_System:
Classification_System/Authority:
Classification_System_Citation:
Citation_Information:
Originator: ITIS
Publication_Date: 2022
Title:
Integrated Taxonomic Information System
Geospatial_Data_Presentation_Form: on-line database
Online_Linkage: https://www.itis.gov
Online_Linkage: https://doi.org/10.5066/F7KH0KBK
Taxonomic_Procedures:
Access_Constraints: None
Use_Constraints:
These data were collected using funding from the U.S. Government and can be used without additional permissions or fees. If you use these data in a publication, presentation, or other research product please use the following citation:

Moore, Margaret M.; Jenness, Jeffrey S.; Laughlin, Daniel C.; Strahan, Robert T.; Bakker, Jonathan D.; Dowling, Helen E.; Springer, Judith D. 2025. Cover and density data of southwestern ponderosa pine understory plants in permanent chart quadrats (2002-2020+). 2nd Edition. Fort Collins, CO: Forest Service Research Data Archive. https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2021-0092-2
Point_of_Contact:
Contact_Information:
Contact_Organization_Primary:
Contact_Organization: Jenness Enterprises
Contact_Person: Jeffrey S. Jenness
Contact_Position: GIS Analysis and Application Design
Contact_Address:
Address_Type: mailing and physical
Address: 3020 N. Schevene Blvd.
City: Flagstaff
State_or_Province: AZ
Postal_Code: 86004
Country: USA
Contact_Voice_Telephone: 928-607-4638 or 928-526-4139
Contact_Electronic_Mail_Address: jeffj@jennessent.com
Contact Instructions: This contact information was current as of original publication date. For current information see Contact Us page on: https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS.
Point_of_Contact:
Contact_Information:
Contact_Organization_Primary:
Contact_Organization: Northern Arizona University, School of Forestry
Contact_Person: Margaret M. Moore
Contact_Position: Professor
Contact_Address:
Address_Type: mailing and physical
Address: Northern Arizona University
City: Flagstaff
State_or_Province: AZ
Postal_Code: 86011
Country: USA
Contact_Voice_Telephone: 928-523-7457
Contact_Electronic_Mail_Address: Margaret.Moore@nau.edu
Contact Instructions: This contact information was current as of original publication date. For current information see Contact Us page on: https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS.
Point_of_Contact:
Contact_Information:
Contact_Organization_Primary:
Contact_Organization: USDA Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station
Contact_Person: W. Keith Moser
Contact_Position: Research Forester; Fort Valley Experimental Forest Scientist-in-Charge
Contact_Address:
Address_Type: mailing and physical
Address: 2500 South Pine Knoll Drive
City: Flagstaff
State_or_Province: AZ
Postal_Code: 86001
Country: USA
Contact_Voice_Telephone: 928-556-2046
Contact_Electronic_Mail_Address: warren.k.moser@usda.gov
Contact Instructions: This contact information was current as of original publication date. For current information see Contact Us page on: https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS.
Data_Set_Credit:
Logistical and financial support was provided by the Northern Arizona University (NAU) School of Forestry through McIntire-Stennis grant funding and through the NAU Ecological Restoration Institute through annual in-kind staff and undergraduate personnel field and computer support. Financial support was also provided by the National Research Initiative of the USDA Cooperative State Research, Education and Extension Service, grant number 2003-35101-12919; National Science Foundation, collaborative research grant DEB-1906167; and USDA Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station.


Author Information:

Moore, Margaret M.
Northern Arizona University, School of Forestry
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3460-756X

Jenness, Jeffrey S.
Jenness Enterprises, GIS Analysis and Application Design
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9448-1444

Laughlin, Daniel C.
University of Wyoming, Department of Botany
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9651-5732

Strahan, Robert T.
Lomakatsi Restoration Project

Bakker, Jonathan D.
University of Washington, School of Environmental and Forest Sciences
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8973-2771

Dowling, Helen E.
Washington State Department of Fish & Wildlife

Springer, Judith D.
Northern Arizona University, Ecological Restoration Institute
Cross_Reference:
Citation_Information:
Originator: Moore, Margaret M.
Originator: Jenness, Jeffrey S.
Originator: Laughlin, Daniel C.
Originator: Strahan, Robert T.
Originator: Bakker, Jonathan D.
Originator: Dowling, Helen E.
Originator: Springer, Judith D.
Publication_Date: 2021
Title:
Cover and density data of southwestern ponderosa pine understory plants in permanent chart quadrats (2002-2020+)
Edition: 1st
Geospatial_Data_Presentation_Form: tabular and vector digital data
Publication_Information:
Publication_Place: Fort Collins, CO
Publisher: Forest Service Research Data Archive
Online_Linkage: https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2021-0092
Cross_Reference:
Citation_Information:
Originator: Moore, Margaret M.
Originator: Jenness, Jeffrey S.
Originator: Laughlin, Daniel C.
Originator: Strahan, Robert T.
Originator: Bakker, Jonathan D.
Originator: Dowling, Helen E.
Originator: Springer, Judith D.
Publication_Date: 2022
Title:
Cover and density of southwestern ponderosa pine understory plants in permanent chart quadrats (2002-2020)
Geospatial_Data_Presentation_Form: journal article
Series_Information:
Series_Name: Ecology
Issue_Identification: e3661
Online_Linkage: https://doi.org/10.1002/ecy.3661
Cross_Reference:
Citation_Information:
Originator: Jenness, Jeffrey S.
Publication_Date: 2025
Title:
VBA Code to analyze cover and density of southwestern ponderosa pine understory plants in permanent chart quadrats: 2002-2024
Edition: 2025
Geospatial_Data_Presentation_Form: code
Publication_Information:
Publisher: Zenodo
Online_Linkage: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.7581945
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Data_Quality_Information:
Attribute_Accuracy:
Attribute_Accuracy_Report:
All maps were checked for completeness and accuracy after all individual plants had been digitized and again prior to spatial adjustment. Shapefiles were rotated to have a consistent North-South vertical orientation, but the tagged corner in the field is not consistently North-South. All perennial graminoids were digitized as polygon features, as were the three low-growing, mat-forming forbs (Eremogone fendleri (A. Gray) Ikonn. [formerly Arenaria fendleri A. Gray], Antennaria rosulata Rydb., and Antennaria parvifolia Nutt.). With the exception of the three species above, all woody plants, annual graminoids, annual and perennial forbs were digitized as point features. Plant scientific names and taxonomic authority is the Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS) https://www.itis.gov/. Some questionable, infrequent taxa were lumped at the genera level.


Quality assurance/quality control procedures:

After digitizing each 2002-2024 scanned map, we examined each attribute table for misspelled species names or cases where the species scientific name had changed over the study period. We visually inspected each mapped quadrat, comparing it to previous and subsequent years to spot potential issues with species that might have been misidentified in one year, but correctly identified in other years. We also corrected a few cases where the digitized quadrat was rotated by 90° or 180° from the original orientation. There were cases in which multiple polygons representing the same species in the same year overlapped by some amount. In some cases it was clear that the same polygon was accidentally digitized more than once, and in other cases it was clear that they actually represented different clusters of plants, but had accidentally touched so they appeared to be a single cluster. We resolved these issues with overlapping polygons by the following logic (and see function “RepairOverlappingPolygons” in the VBA code module “More_Margaret_Functions”; code modules are included in supporting information and in a Zenodo repository (https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.7581945):

i) We overlaid each pair of polygons that touched each other, and computed the lengths of the borders of each polygon that contacted the neighboring polygon. We also computed the area of the intersecting region.

ii) If either the intersecting border length was > 40% of the total border length of either polygon, or if the area of the overlapping intersection region was > 40% of the total area of either polygon, then we concluded that these two polygons actually represented the same plant group on the ground and we merged the two polygons into a single object.

iii) Otherwise, we concluded that these two polygons represented different plant groups and we inserted a 1 millimeter (mm) gap between the two polygons.

All original digitizing was done within a local coordinate system describing a generic 1-m², which allows plant demographic patterns to be analyzed within a particular quadrat over time. In addition, in order to analyze a quadrat within a site or landscape context (elevation, parent material, etc.), we then georeferenced each digitized polygon and quadrat to its true spatial location on the landscape. These spatially corrected quadrat datasets are not guaranteed to be oriented correctly (i.e., the top of the quadrat may not actually be true north), but they can now be analyzed against other spatial datasets.

The procedures described above ensured accurate transfer of information from the original to the digital maps and correction of some errors introduced at the original mapping stage. Nevertheless, future users must become familiar enough with the raw data provided here to determine whether it is appropriate for their particular research question.
Logical_Consistency_Report:
see attribute accuracy information
Completeness_Report:
No quadrats were surveyed in 2008. Quadrats 26347 and 30705 were relocated in 2003 and are therefore missing surveys for year 2002. Quadrats 46, 26340, 10/30710, 16/30716, 18/30718, 30712, 30727, 30737, 30745, 30746 and 30747 were relocated in 2004 and are therefore missing surveys for 2002 and 2003. Quadrats 1, 2, 3, 4, 101, 102, 103, 105, 107, 108, 109, 110, 114, 115, 119, 120, 121, 122, 123, 124, 125, 22241, 29003, 29004, 29106, 29017, 29025 and 8/30708 were relocated in 2006 and are therefore missing surveys for 2002-2005. Quadrats 104, 21114, 21174, 21262, 21269, 22126, 22156, 22244, 23155 and 23159 were relocated in 2007 and are therefore missing surveys for years 2002-2006. Quadrats 106, 494 and 498 were relocated in 2016 and are therefore missing surveys for 2002-2015. Quadrat 30705 was not surveyed in 2005. Quadrat 4 was not surveyed in 2016-2018 because of time constraints and because the quadrat was covered with fire-induced tree-downfall. Downfall on Quadrat 4 was consumed in 2018 prescribed fire, and surveying recommenced in 2019. Quadrats 26340, 30704, 8/30708, 18/30718, 30711, 30712, 30727, 30736, 30737, 30745, 30746 and 30750 were not surveyed from 2016-2024 due to disturbance. Quadrat 2 was not surveyed in 2017, in the year in which the Boundary fire burned the quadrat resulting in complete overstory tree mortality and forest floor consumption. Quadrat 30738 was not surveyed from 2017-2023 due to time constraints.

Quadrat survey efforts by year are summarized in the CSV file \Data\Ancillary_Data_CSVs\Summarize_Quadrats_by_Year.csv.
Lineage:
Methodology:
Methodology_Type: Field
Methodology_Description:
BACKGROUND

Hill Range Study Plots:
R. R. Hill became the first Grazing Examiner for the United States Forest Service (USFS) in District 3 (now Region 3) in 1908. In 1912, he initiated a study on the Coconino National Forest to examine potential livestock damage to ponderosa pine regeneration and to quantify how the understory herbaceous vegetation recovers when protected from livestock grazing (Hill 1917, Hill 1920, Hill 1921, Talbot and Hill 1923, Glendening 1941, Arnold 1950, Arnold 1955, Bakker 2005, Bakker et al. 2008). As part of this study, Hill established sixty 1-m² quadrats in 1912 at five sites: Big Fill, Black Springs, Fry Park, Reese Tank, and Rogers Lake. We re-mapped these Hill quadrats annually from 2002-2024 (Bakker 2005, Bakker et al. 2008, Laughlin 2009, Laughlin et al. 2011, Strahan 2013, Strahan et al. 2015, Dowling 2015, Perez Partridge 2021, Perez Partridge et al. 2025) and provide these data here.

Fort Valley Experimental Forest (FVEF) Permanent Sample Plots:
In 1909, G. A. Pearson, Director of the FVEF, and T. S. Woolsey Jr., the District Silviculturist, drafted a set of instructions that led to the establishment of a network of permanent sample plots (PSP) in the ponderosa pine forests of the Southwest (Woolsey 1911, Pearson 1923, 1931, 1933, 1942, 1950, Moore et al. 2004). On PSPs located on the FVEF, herbaceous understory subplots were established in 1914 to examine grass competition with pine seedling establishment, quantify woody and herbaceous plant composition, and document secondary plant succession. The understory subplots were approximately 1.5 x 3.0 m (5 feet [ft] x 10 ft) and were permanently marked with iron pipes (Moore et al. 1999a, 1999b, Bakker et al. 2002). Originally, in 1914, eighty understory subplots were established on eight FVEF PSP sites (Pearson 1950). All plants were mapped on thirty-two of these subplots in 1914, and then each subplot was assigned a ‘denuded’ or ‘natural’ treatment. Sixteen subplots were ‘denuded’ (cultivated with a spade and all vegetation and propagules removed), while 16 subplots were left untreated (‘natural’). All plants were remapped in 1919 on both the ‘denuded’ and ‘natural’ subplots.

To standardize contemporary data collection with the other historical studies, we established ten 1-m² quadrats in the corner of the “natural” subplots at five PSP sites (COCS1A, COCS1B, COC2A, COCS2B, COCS3A). These 1-m² quadrats are permanently marked with rebar within the original subplots and were remapped annually since 2006 (Laughlin 2009, Laughlin et al. 2011, Strahan 2013). In the database, they are labelled according to their National Forest (COC, for Coconino National Forest), FVEF PSP name (S1A, S1B, S2A, S2B, S3A), original understory subplot name (A4, G4, F9, etc.), and the unique five-digit number on their tag (e.g., COC-S1A-A4-21114). Due to the uniquely different naming system for these ten quadrats, we have provided a list of their names in the file \Data\Ancillary_Data_CSVs\Quadrat_Locations_and_Data.csv to assist users in identifying these quadrats in the database. Fort Valley sites are identified in the “Site_Specific” attribute field, PSP names in the “Site” field, and original understory subplots in the “Note” field.

Cooperrider and Cassidy Range Study or “Wild Bill” Quadrats:
In 1927, the FVEF initiated a study on the Wild Bill range of the Coconino National Forest to experimentally isolate the agents responsible for injury to ponderosa pine regeneration (Cassidy 1937a, 1937b, Cooperrider and Cassidy 1937, Cooperrider 1938, Cooperrider and Cassidy 1939a, 1939b), while simultaneously assessing the impacts of livestock grazing on herbaceous composition and cover (Laughlin and Moore 2008). This study was named after the two lead investigators, C. K. Cooperrider and H. O. Cassidy. Twenty-nine quadrats were installed on the Wild Bill and Willaha U.S. Forest Service range allotments, which span ~12,000 hectares (ha) northwest of Flagstaff, Arizona (Cassidy 1937a, 1937b, Cooperrider and Cassidy 1939a, 1939b, Laughlin and Moore 2008). Original quadrats were mapped from 1927 through 1938. We mapped these 1-m² quadrats annually between 2006-2024 (Laughlin 2009, Laughlin et al. 2011, Strahan 2013). These quadrats are collectively identified as “Wild Bill” in the database and further identified by their specific site name: Government Knolls, Kendrick Panel, SI Panel, Wild Bill, Willaha, and Dispersed Quadrats). Two additional quadrats were located within a historical livestock exclosure near the Wild Bill-Kendrick Panel, called FS 9009H Road-Old Exclosure, Plot 494 and 498, which were mapped annually between 2016-2024.

Additional information can be found in Moore et al. (2022, https://doi.org/10.1002/ecy.3661).

Some of the reference materials are unpublished hard copy documentation which are stored in the USDA Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fort Valley Experimental Forest Archives. For more information regarding these materials contact Margaret Moore or Keith Moser (Fort Valley Experimental Forest Scientist-in-Charge).
Methodology_Citation:
Citation_Information:
Originator: Moore, Margaret M.
Originator: Jenness, Jeffrey S.
Originator: Laughlin, Daniel C.
Originator: Strahan, Robert T.
Originator: Bakker, Jonathan D.
Originator: Dowling, Helen E.
Originator: Springer, Judith D.
Publication_Date: 2022
Title:
Cover and density of southwestern ponderosa pine understory plants in permanent chart quadrats (2002-2020)
Geospatial_Data_Presentation_Form: journal article
Series_Information:
Series_Name: Ecology
Issue_Identification: e3661
Online_Linkage: https://doi.org/10.1002/ecy.3661
Methodology_Citation:
Citation_Information:
Originator: Arnold, Joseph F.
Publication_Date: 1950
Title:
Changes in ponderosa pine bunchgrass ranges in northern Arizona resulting from pine regeneration and grazing
Geospatial_Data_Presentation_Form: journal article
Series_Information:
Series_Name: Journal of Forestry
Issue_Identification: 2(48): 118-126
Methodology_Citation:
Citation_Information:
Originator: Arnold, Joseph F.
Publication_Date: 1955
Title:
Plant life-form classification and its use in evaluating range conditions and trend
Geospatial_Data_Presentation_Form: journal article
Series_Information:
Series_Name: Journal of Range Management
Issue_Identification: 8(4): 176-181
Online_Linkage: https://doi.org/10.2307/3894219
Methodology_Citation:
Citation_Information:
Originator: Bakker, Jonathan David
Publication_Date: 2005
Title:
Long-term vegetation dynamics of ponderosa pine forests
Geospatial_Data_Presentation_Form: document
Series_Information:
Series_Name: PhD dissertation
Publication_Information:
Publication_Place: Flagstaff, AZ
Publisher: Northern Arizona University, School of Forestry
Methodology_Citation:
Citation_Information:
Originator: Bakker, Jonathan D.
Originator: Moore, Margaret M.
Originator: Springer, Judith D.
Originator: Crouse, Joseph E.
Publication_Date: 2002
Title:
Long-term (85-year) understory vegetation change in Pinus ponderosa stands in northern Arizona
Geospatial_Data_Presentation_Form: oral presentation
Series_Information:
Series_Name: Ecological Society of America
Issue_Identification: 87th Annual Meeting
Publication_Information:
Publisher: Ecological Society of America
Other_Citation_Details:
Oral presentation; Tucson, AZ
Methodology_Citation:
Citation_Information:
Originator: Bakker, Jonathan D.
Originator: Moore, Margaret M.
Originator: Laughlin, Daniel C.
Publication_Date: 2008
Title:
The Hill plots: a rare long-term vegetation study
Geospatial_Data_Presentation_Form: conference proceedings
Other_Citation_Details:
pages 116-123
Online_Linkage: https://research.fs.usda.gov/treesearch/32500
Larger_Work_Citation:
Citation_Information:
Originator: Olberding, Susan D. (tech. coords.)
Originator: Moore, Margaret M. (tech. coords.)
Publication_Date: 2008
Title:
Fort Valley Experimental Forest-A Century of Research 1908-2008
Geospatial_Data_Presentation_Form: conference proceedings
Publication_Information:
Publication_Place: Fort Collins, CO
Publisher: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station
Other_Citation_Details:
August 7-9, 2008; Flagstaff, AZ; 282 p.
Online_Linkage: https://research.fs.usda.gov/treesearch/32482
Methodology_Citation:
Citation_Information:
Originator: Cassidy, H. O.
Publication_Date: 1937
Title:
How cattle may use cut-over ponderosa pine-bunchgrass ranges with minimum injury to reproduction
Geospatial_Data_Presentation_Form: document
Series_Information:
Series_Name: Research Note
Issue_Identification: 15: 1-3
Publication_Information:
Publication_Place: Tucson, AZ
Publisher: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Southwestern Forest and Range Experiment Station
Methodology_Citation:
Citation_Information:
Originator: Cassidy, H. O.
Publication_Date: 1937
Title:
How to handle sheep on cut-over ponderosa pine-bunchgrass ranges to keep injury to reproduction to a minimum
Geospatial_Data_Presentation_Form: document
Series_Information:
Series_Name: Research Note
Issue_Identification: 16: 1-2
Publication_Information:
Publication_Place: Tucson, AZ
Publisher: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Southwestern Forest and Range Experiment Station
Methodology_Citation:
Citation_Information:
Originator: Cooperrider, Charles K.
Originator: Cassidy, H. O.
Publication_Date: Unpublished material
Title:
Cattle grazing on cut-over timberlands in relation to regeneration of pine forests
Geospatial_Data_Presentation_Form: document
Publication_Information:
Publication_Place: Flagstaff, AZ
Publisher: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fort Valley Experimental Forest Archives
Other_Citation_Details:
1937; 93 p.
Methodology_Citation:
Citation_Information:
Originator: Cooperrider, Charles K.
Publication_Date: 1938
Title:
Recovery processes of ponderosa pine reproduction following injury to young annual growth
Geospatial_Data_Presentation_Form: journal article
Series_Information:
Series_Name: Plant Physiology
Issue_Identification: 13(1): 5-27
Publication_Information:
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Online_Linkage: https://doi.org/10.1104/pp.13.1.5
Methodology_Citation:
Citation_Information:
Originator: Cooperrider, Charles K.
Originator: Cassidy, H. O.
Publication_Date: Unpublished material
Title:
Cattle grazing in cutover timberlands in relation to regeneration of ponderosa pine forests of the Southwest
Geospatial_Data_Presentation_Form: document
Publication_Information:
Publication_Place: Flagstaff, AZ
Publisher: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fort Valley Experimental Forest Archives
Other_Citation_Details:
1939
Methodology_Citation:
Citation_Information:
Originator: Cooperrider, Charles K.
Originator: Cassidy, H. O.
Publication_Date: Unpublished material
Title:
Sheep grazing in cutover timberlands in relation to regeneration of ponderosa pine forests of the Southwest
Geospatial_Data_Presentation_Form: document
Publication_Information:
Publication_Place: Flagstaff, AZ
Publisher: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fort Valley Experimental Forest Archives
Other_Citation_Details:
1939
Methodology_Citation:
Citation_Information:
Originator: Dowling, Helen E.
Publication_Date: 2015
Title:
Mapped permanent quadrats: A window through time into herbaceous plant demography
Geospatial_Data_Presentation_Form: document
Series_Information:
Series_Name: Master's Thesis
Publication_Information:
Publication_Place: Flagstaff, AZ
Publisher: Northern Arizona University, School of Forestry
Methodology_Citation:
Citation_Information:
Originator: Glendening, G. E.
Publication_Date: Unpublished material
Title:
Work plan – summer 1941: Hill study plots, Coconino
Geospatial_Data_Presentation_Form: document
Publication_Information:
Publication_Place: Flagstaff, AZ
Publisher: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fort Valley Experimental Forest Archives
Other_Citation_Details:
1941
Methodology_Citation:
Citation_Information:
Originator: Hill, Robert R.
Publication_Date: 1917
Title:
Effects of grazing upon western yellow-pine reproduction in the national forests of Arizona and New Mexico
Geospatial_Data_Presentation_Form: document
Series_Information:
Series_Name: USDA Forest Service Bulletin
Issue_Identification: 580
Publication_Information:
Publication_Place: Washington, D.C.
Publisher: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service
Other_Citation_Details:
27 p.
Methodology_Citation:
Citation_Information:
Originator: Hill, Robert R.
Publication_Date: 1920
Title:
Charting quadrats with a pantograph
Geospatial_Data_Presentation_Form: journal article
Series_Information:
Series_Name: Ecology
Issue_Identification: 1(4): 270-273
Online_Linkage: https://doi.org/10.2307/1929561
Methodology_Citation:
Citation_Information:
Originator: Hill, Robert R.
Publication_Date: Unpublished material
Title:
Notes taken on Coconino trip with Grazing Examiner Murrell W. Talbot, Fall of 1921
Geospatial_Data_Presentation_Form: document
Publication_Information:
Publication_Place: Flagstaff, AZ
Publisher: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fort Valley Experimental Forest Archives
Other_Citation_Details:
1921; unpublished report; 20 p.
Methodology_Citation:
Citation_Information:
Originator: Laughlin, Daniel C.
Publication_Date: 2009
Title:
Functional consequences of long-term vegetation dynamics
Geospatial_Data_Presentation_Form: document
Series_Information:
Series_Name: Ph.D. dissertation
Publication_Information:
Publication_Place: Flagstaff, AZ
Publisher: Northern Arizona University, School of Forestry
Other_Citation_Details:
186 p.
Methodology_Citation:
Citation_Information:
Originator: Moore, Margaret M.
Originator: Laughlin, Daniel C.
Publication_Date: 2008
Title:
Forest and range research on the “Wild Bill Plots” (1927-2007)
Geospatial_Data_Presentation_Form: conference proceedings
Other_Citation_Details:
pages 281-289
Online_Linkage: https://research.fs.usda.gov/treesearch/32517
Larger_Work_Citation:
Citation_Information:
Originator: Olberding, Susan D. (tech. coords.)
Originator: Moore, Margaret M. (tech. coords.)
Publication_Date: 2008
Title:
Fort Valley Experimental Forest-A Century of Research 1908-2008
Geospatial_Data_Presentation_Form: conference proceedings
Publication_Information:
Publication_Place: Fort Collins, CO
Publisher: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station
Other_Citation_Details:
August 7-9, 2008; Flagstaff, AZ; 282 p.
Online_Linkage: https://research.fs.usda.gov/treesearch/32482
Methodology_Citation:
Citation_Information:
Originator: Laughlin, Daniel C.
Originator: Moore, Margaret M.
Originator: Fulé, Pete Z.
Publication_Date: 2011
Title:
A century of increasing pine density and associated shifts in understory plant strategies
Geospatial_Data_Presentation_Form: journal article
Series_Information:
Series_Name: Ecology
Issue_Identification: 92(3): 556-561
Online_Linkage: https://doi.org/10.1890/09-2103.1
Methodology_Citation:
Citation_Information:
Originator: Moore, Margaret M.
Originator: Covington, W. Wallace
Originator: Fulé, Pete Z.
Publication_Date: 1999
Title:
Reference conditions and ecological restoration: a southwestern ponderosa pine perspective
Geospatial_Data_Presentation_Form: journal article
Series_Information:
Series_Name: Ecological Applications
Issue_Identification: 9(4): 1266-1277
Online_Linkage: https://doi.org/10.1890/1051-0761(1999)009[1266:RCAERA]2.0.CO;2
Methodology_Citation:
Citation_Information:
Originator: Moore, Margaret M.
Originator: Covington, W. Wallace
Originator: Huffman, David W.
Originator: Crouse, Joseph E.
Publication_Date: 1999
Title:
Eighty-three years of understory vegetation change in a northern Arizona ponderosa pine forest
Geospatial_Data_Presentation_Form: oral presentation
Series_Information:
Series_Name: Ecological Society of America
Issue_Identification: 84th Annual Meeting
Publication_Information:
Publisher: Ecological Society of America
Other_Citation_Details:
Oral presentation; August 1999; Spokane, WA
Methodology_Citation:
Citation_Information:
Originator: Moore, Margaret M.
Originator: Huffman, David W.
Originator: Fulé, Pete Z.
Originator: Covington, W. Wallace
Originator: Crouse, Joseph E.
Publication_Date: 2004
Title:
Comparison of historical and contemporary forest structure and composition on permanent plots in southwestern ponderosa pine forests
Geospatial_Data_Presentation_Form: journal article
Series_Information:
Series_Name: Forest Science
Issue_Identification: 50(2): 162-176
Online_Linkage: https://doi.org/10.1093/forestscience/50.2.162
Methodology_Citation:
Citation_Information:
Originator: Pearson, Gustaf A.
Publication_Date: 1923
Title:
Natural reproduction of western yellow pine in the Southwest
Geospatial_Data_Presentation_Form: document
Series_Information:
Series_Name: USDA Forest Service Bulletin
Issue_Identification: 105
Publication_Information:
Publication_Place: Washington, D.C.
Publisher: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service
Other_Citation_Details:
143 p.
Methodology_Citation:
Citation_Information:
Originator: Pearson, Gustaf A.
Publication_Date: 1931
Title:
Forest types in the Southwest as determined by climate and soil
Geospatial_Data_Presentation_Form: document
Series_Information:
Series_Name: USDA Forest Service Technical Bulletin
Issue_Identification: 247
Publication_Information:
Publication_Place: Washington, D.C.
Publisher: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service
Other_Citation_Details:
144 p.
Methodology_Citation:
Citation_Information:
Originator: Pearson, Gustaf A.
Publication_Date: 1933
Title:
A twenty year record of changes in an Arizona pine forest
Geospatial_Data_Presentation_Form: journal article
Series_Information:
Series_Name: Ecology
Issue_Identification: 14(3): 272-285
Online_Linkage: https://doi.org/10.2307/1932798
Methodology_Citation:
Citation_Information:
Originator: Pearson, Gustaf A.
Publication_Date: 1942
Title:
Herbaceous vegetation a factor in natural regeneration of ponderosa pine in the Southwest
Geospatial_Data_Presentation_Form: journal article
Series_Information:
Series_Name: Ecological Monographs
Issue_Identification: 12(3): 315-338
Online_Linkage: https://doi.org/10.2307/1943545
Methodology_Citation:
Citation_Information:
Originator: Pearson, Gustaf A.
Publication_Date: 1950
Title:
Management of ponderosa pine in the Southwest as developed by research and experimental practice
Geospatial_Data_Presentation_Form: document
Series_Information:
Series_Name: Agriculture Monograph
Issue_Identification: 6
Publication_Information:
Publication_Place: Washington, D.C.
Publisher: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service
Other_Citation_Details:
218 p.
Online_Linkage: https://research.fs.usda.gov/treesearch/35042
Methodology_Citation:
Citation_Information:
Originator: Partridge, Sade Perez
Originator: Moore, Margaret M.
Originator: Laughlin, Daniel C.
Originator: Sánchez Meador, Andrew J.
Publication_Date: 2025
Title:
Modeling size-based reproductive output to fill the gap in perennial graminoid demography
Geospatial_Data_Presentation_Form: journal article
Series_Information:
Series_Name: Western North American Naturalist
Other_Citation_Details:
[In review]
Methodology_Citation:
Citation_Information:
Originator: Partridge, Sade Perez
Publication_Date: 2021
Title:
The Fecundity Kernel: Reproductive analyses to fill the gap in perennial graminoid demography
Geospatial_Data_Presentation_Form: document
Series_Information:
Series_Name: Master's Thesis
Publication_Information:
Publication_Place: Flagstaff, AZ
Publisher: Northern Arizona University, School of Forestry
Methodology_Citation:
Citation_Information:
Originator: Strahan, Robert T.
Publication_Date: 2013
Title:
A functional trait perspective: Links to demography, predicting community assembly, and community-level response to long-term grazing
Geospatial_Data_Presentation_Form: document
Series_Information:
Series_Name: PhD Dissertation
Publication_Information:
Publication_Place: Flagstaff, AZ
Publisher: Northern Arizona University, School of Forestry
Methodology_Citation:
Citation_Information:
Originator: Strahan, Robert T.
Originator: Laughlin, Daniel C.
Originator: Bakker, Jonathan D.
Originator: Moore, Margaret M.
Publication_Date: 2015
Title:
Long-term protection from heavy livestock grazing affects ponderosa pine understory composition and functional traits
Geospatial_Data_Presentation_Form: journal article
Series_Information:
Series_Name: Rangeland Ecology and Management
Issue_Identification: 68(3): 257-265
Online_Linkage: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rama.2015.03.008
Methodology_Citation:
Citation_Information:
Originator: Talbot, Murrell W.
Originator: Hill, Robert R.
Publication_Date: Unpublished material
Title:
Progress report on the range study plots on the Coconino National Forest comprising a description of project and digest of data
Geospatial_Data_Presentation_Form: document
Publication_Information:
Publication_Place: Flagstaff, AZ
Publisher: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fort Valley Experimental Forest Archives
Other_Citation_Details:
1923; 32 p.
Methodology_Citation:
Citation_Information:
Originator: Woolsey, Theodore S.
Publication_Date: 1911
Title:
Western yellow pine in Arizona and New Mexico
Geospatial_Data_Presentation_Form: document
Series_Information:
Series_Name: USDA Forest Service Bulletin
Issue_Identification: 101
Publication_Information:
Publication_Place: Washington, D.C.
Publisher: United States Government Printing Office
Methodology:
Methodology_Type: Field
Methodology_Description:
EXPERIMENTAL OR SAMPLING DESIGN

We relocated historical 1-m² quadrats (described above) and then remapped all vegetation on these 1-m² quadrats from 2002-2024. No statistical design was used for the original (early 1900) site nor quadrat locations; however, the original locations represent a variety of elevations, parent materials, and tree canopy cover within the ponderosa pine forests in the Flagstaff, AZ area.

Permanent plots: We found the exact location of these original chart quadrats because their corners were permanently marked with angle iron or galvanized steel pipe and a metal tag. We relocated and then remapped the vegetation on 101, 1-m² quadrats between 2002-2024. We measured the forest structure surrounding each quadrat by establishing a 20 m x 20 m overstory tree plot around each 1-m² quadrat.

Data collection period: The overall temporal extent was 2002-2024 (22 years), but the extent varies by study site, and when we actually re-located a site or a quadrat within a site (see \Data\Ancillary_Data_CSVs\Summarize_Quadrats_by_Year.csv).

Hill Range Study Plots:
Quadrats were mapped periodically from 1912 until 1941, and annually from 2002-2024. Data are provided for 60 quadrats mapped annually between 2002-2024. The overstory tree data were collected in between 2003 and 2007 on 20 m x 20 m plots (Bakker 2005, Laughlin 2009, Strahan 2013).

Fort Valley Experimental Forest Permanent Sample Plots:
Data are provided for 10, 1-m² quadrats, which were mapped annually from 2006 or 2007 until 2024. The overstory tree data were collected in 2002 on 20 m x 20 m plots (Sánchez Meador et al. 2009, 2010).

Cooperrider and Cassidy Range Study Plots (or Wild Bill Quadrats):
Quadrats were mapped periodically from 1927-1938 and annually from 2006-2024. Data are provided for 29 quadrats mapped annually between 2006-2024. The overstory tree data were collected in 2007 on 20 m x 20 m plots (Laughlin 2009, Strahan 2013).

(Previously referenced methodology citations are provided above and new methodology citations provide below.)

Additional information can be found in Moore et al. (2022, https://doi.org/10.1002/ecy.3661).
Methodology_Citation:
Citation_Information:
Originator: Sánchez Meador, Andrew J.
Originator: Moore, Margaret M.
Originator: Bakker, Jonathan D.
Originator: Parysow, Pablo F.
Publication_Date: 2009
Title:
108 years of change in spatial pattern following selective harvest of a ponderosa pine stand in northern Arizona
Geospatial_Data_Presentation_Form: journal article
Series_Information:
Series_Name: Journal of Vegetation Science
Issue_Identification: 20(1): 79-90
Online_Linkage: https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1365-2893.1999.00142.x-i1
Methodology_Citation:
Citation_Information:
Originator: Sánchez Meador, Andrew J.
Originator: Parysow, Pablo F.
Originator: Moore, Margaret M.
Publication_Date: 2010
Title:
Historical stem mapped permanent plots increase precision of reconstructed reference conditions in ponderosa pine forests of northern Arizona
Geospatial_Data_Presentation_Form: journal article
Series_Information:
Series_Name: Restoration Ecology
Issue_Identification: 18(2): 224-234
Online_Linkage: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1526-100x.2008.00442.x
Methodology:
Methodology_Type: Field
Methodology_Description:
CROSS-REFERENCED PUBLICATIONS

Publications using data from the Hill Range Study Plots, the Fort Valley Experimental Forest (FVEF) Permanent Sample Plots, and the Cooperrider and Cassidy Range Study or “Wild Bill” Quadrats include the following: Arnold (1950), Bakker (2005), Bakker et al. (2002), Bakker and Moore (2007), Bakker et al. (2008), Cassidy (1937a, 1937b), Cooperrider and Cassidy (1937), Cooperrider (1938), Cooperrider and Cassidy (1939a, 1939b), Dowling (2015), Hill (1917), Laughlin (2009), Laughlin and Moore (2008), Laughlin et al. (2010), Laughlin et al. (2011), Laughlin et al. (2018), Laughlin et al. (2020), Moore et al. (1999), Pearson (1933), Pearson (1942), Partridge (2021), Perez Partridge et al. 2025), Strahan (2013), Strahan et al. (2015), and Talbot and Hill (1923), Atkins et al. (2025), Atkins et al. (2024), Mitchell et al. (2023) and Atkins et al. (2023).

(Previously referenced methodology citations are provided above and new methodology citations provide below.)
Methodology_Citation:
Citation_Information:
Originator: Atkins, David H.
Originator: Laughlin, Daniel C.
Originator: Gremer, Jennifer R.
Originator: Mitchell, Rachel M.
Originator: Moore, Margaret M.
Publication_Date: 2023
Title:
Functional traits predict demographic fitness in perennial graminoid species
Geospatial_Data_Presentation_Form: conference proceeding
Series_Information:
Series_Name: Ecological Society of America
Issue_Identification: August 6-10, 2023, Portland, OR
Methodology_Citation:
Citation_Information:
Originator: Atkins, David H.
Originator: Laughlin, Daniel C.
Originator: Moore, Margaret M.
Publication_Date: 2024
Title:
Intraspecific trait variation mirrors global economic tradeoffs in plants
Geospatial_Data_Presentation_Form: conference proceeding
Series_Information:
Series_Name: Ecological Society of America
Issue_Identification: August 4-9, 2024, Long Beach, CA
Methodology_Citation:
Citation_Information:
Originator: Atkins, David H.
Originator: Blackburn, R. D.
Originator: Moore, Margaret M.
Originator: Sánchez Meador, Andrew J.
Publication_Date: 2025
Title:
Handheld lidar sensors can accurately measure herbaceous biomass
Geospatial_Data_Presentation_Form: journal article
Series_Information:
Series_Name: Ecosphere
Other_Citation_Details:
[In review]
Methodology_Citation:
Citation_Information:
Originator: Bakker, Jonathan D.
Originator: Moore, Margaret M.
Publication_Date: 2007
Title:
Controls on vegetation structure in southwestern ponderosa pine forests, 1941 and 2004
Geospatial_Data_Presentation_Form: journal article
Series_Information:
Series_Name: Ecology
Issue_Identification: 88(9): 2305-2319
Online_Linkage: https://doi.org/10.1890/06-1775.1
Methodology_Citation:
Citation_Information:
Originator: Laughlin, Daniel C.
Originator: Leppert, Jessica J.
Originator: Moore, Margaret M.
Originator: Sieg, Carolyn H.
Publication_Date: 2010
Title:
A multi-trait test of the leaf-height-seed plant strategy scheme with 133 species from a pine forest flora
Geospatial_Data_Presentation_Form: journal article
Series_Information:
Series_Name: Functional Ecology
Issue_Identification: 24(3): 493-501
Online_Linkage: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2435.2009.01672.x
Methodology_Citation:
Citation_Information:
Originator: Laughlin, Daniel C.
Originator: Strahan, Robert T.
Originator: Adler, Peter B.
Originator: Moore, Margaret M.
Publication_Date: 2018
Title:
Survival rates indicate that correlations between community-weighted mean traits and environments can be unreliable estimates of the adaptive value of traits
Geospatial_Data_Presentation_Form: journal article
Series_Information:
Series_Name: Ecology Letters
Issue_Identification: 21(3): 411-421
Online_Linkage: https://doi.org/10.1111/ele.12914
Methodology_Citation:
Citation_Information:
Originator: Laughlin, Daniel C.
Originator: Gremer, Jennifer R.
Originator: Adler, Peter B.
Originator: Mitchell, Rachel M.
Originator: Moore, Margaret M.
Publication_Date: 2020
Title:
The net effect of functional traits on fitness
Geospatial_Data_Presentation_Form: journal article
Series_Information:
Series_Name: Trends in ecology and evolution
Issue_Identification: 35:1037-1047
Online_Linkage: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tree.2020.07.010
Methodology_Citation:
Citation_Information:
Originator: Mitchell, Rachel M.
Originator: Laughlin, Daniel C.
Originator: Gremer, Jennifer R.
Originator: Bakker, Jonathan D.
Originator: Atkins, David H.
Originator: Stears, Alice
Originator: Moore, Margaret M.
Publication_Date: 2023
Title:
Negative demographic responses to climate in two dominant grasses over the last 60 years
Geospatial_Data_Presentation_Form: conference proceeding
Series_Information:
Series_Name: Ecological Society of America
Issue_Identification: August 6-10, 2023, Portland, OR
Methodology:
Methodology_Type: Field
Methodology_Description:
RESEARCH METHODS

Contemporary 1-m² quadrat map data (2002-2024) were collected in the field using a 1 m x 1 m PVC quadrat sampling frame. The PVC sampling frame is further subdivided into a grid with 25 cells, each 20 centimeters (cm) x 20 cm. Each cell is mapped onto a transparency sheet with a grid system that is transcribed onto a paper data sheet. Each paper data sheet then is scanned at 600 dots per inch (dpi) and stored as a TIFF image file. This TIFF image is then uploaded as a raster image in ArcMap and used to digitize individual plant locations into shapefiles in ArcGIS. For a complete digitization protocol, contact Jeffrey S. Jenness.

Instrumentation: Paper data sheets, scanners, computers running ArcGIS, Python, ArcObjects in VBA (Visual Basic for Applications) and R.

Taxonomy and systematics: Plant scientific names and taxonomic authority is the Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS) https://www.itis.gov/.

Permit history: Vegetation sampling and mapping permits were obtained from the US Forest Service Coconino National Forest, Supervisor’s Office (20-year Special Use Permit granted in 2016) and from the USDA Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research.
Process_Step:
Process_Description:
For data through 2024, the original VBA and ArcObjects code modules, including 13 modules, 264 functions and 25,655 lines of code are available for download in both a Zenodo archive (https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.7581945) and a GitHub repository https://github.com/JeffJenness/Mapped_Chart_Quadrats_VBA_Code (and see README file). These functions require ArcMap with a VBA license to run.
Process_Date: 2025
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Entity_and_Attribute_Information:
Overview_Description:
Entity_and_Attribute_Overview:
Below you will find a list and description of the files included in this data publication.

DATA FILES - \Data\Ancillary_Data_CSVs (10 files)

A description of the variables in each of these files is included in _Ancillary_Data_CSVs_Attributes.csv.

1. _Ancillary_Data_CSVs_Attributes.csv: Comma-separated values (CSV) file containing a complete description of each variable found in the CSV files included in the Ancillary_Data_CSVs folder.

Columns include:
Filename = name of file
Order in file = order the variable is provided in the file (1 = column 1, 2 = column 2, etc.)
Variable = name of variable
Description = description of variable

2. Basal_Cover_per_Species_by_Quadrat_and_Year.csv: CSV file containing the cumulative basal area in square centimeters, and the proportion of the 1-m² quadrat, covered by each plant species on each quadrat each year.

3. Cover_Species_Tabular_Version.csv: CSV file containing all perennial graminoids, along with three low-growing, mat-forming forbs (Eremogone fendleri (A. Gray) Ikonn. [formerly Arenaria fendleri A. Gray], Antennaria rosulata Rydb., and Antennaria parvifolia Nutt.) were mapped as polygons (i.e., ‘cover’ features). The UTM coordinates reflect the polygon centroid in the UTM Zone 12 coordinate system, projected from the North American Datum of 1983. The coordinates within the quadrat show the position within the 1-m² quadrat itself, and range between 0 and 1. These polygon centroid coordinates only reflect the center of mass of each polygon and do not necessarily lie inside the polygon. To see the true shape of the polygon, please refer to the actual polygon feature classes.

4. Density_Species_Tabular_Version.csv: CSV file containing annual or perennial forbs, annual graminoids, subshrubs, shrubs, or tree seedlings are mapped as points in the field (i.e., ‘density’ features). Then, for display and analyses, these points are converted to 1 mm-radius circular polygons. The UTM coordinates reflect the polygon centroid in the UTM Zone 12 coordinate system, projected from the North American Datum of 1983. The coordinates within the quadrat show the position within the 1-m² quadrat itself, and range between 0 and 1.

5. Overstory_Data_and_Quadrat_Locations.csv: CSV file containing quadrat coordinates in the NAD 1983 UTM Zone 12 coordinate system, tree canopy cover and tree basal area of tree species, soil parent material, and topographic information within the larger 20 m x 20 m plots surrounding each quadrat.

6. Plant_Species_List.csv: CSV file containing a list all plant species observed within all quadrats over the temporal extent of the study, including 6-letter abbreviations for each species, a history of any species name changes that occurred during the study and other relevant comments.

7. Quadrat_Locations_and_Data.csv: CSV file containing quadrat coordinates in UTM Zone 12 and latitude/longitude units, both projected from the North American Datum of 1983. Quadrat descriptors also include the site name, a “Site-Specific” name that gives additional information on where the quadrat can be found within the site, an “AKA” field listing an alternative quadrat naming system used by some studies, elevation in meters, an “Exclosure” value indicating whether the quadrat is within a livestock exclosure, and a “Note” field and “Comment” field describing various other attributes of the quadrat.

8. Summarize_by_Site.csv: CSV file containing the total count of each individual species observed within all quadrats over the temporal extent of the study for each site.

9. Summarize_by_Quadrat.csv: CSV file containing the total count of each individual species observed over the temporal extent of the study for each quadrat.

10. Summarize_Quadrats_by_Year.csv: CSV file containing the year each quadrat was surveyed, along with summary statistics describing the proportion of years that quadrat was surveyed and the proportion of quadrats surveyed each year. If a quadrat was not surveyed in a particular year, this table explains why it was not surveyed that year. No quadrats were surveyed in 2008 due to time and funding constraints that year.



DATA FILES - \Data\Ancillary_Data_GDB (1 file)

A description of the variables in this file is included in \Data\Ancillary_Data_CSVs\_Ancillary_Data_CSVs_Attributes.csv.

1. Ancillary_Data_GDB.gdb: Geodatabase containing data provided in CSV tables described above, formatted as file geodatabase feature classes and tables to facilitate use with ArcGIS software for these four entities: 1) Basal_Cover_per_Species_by_Quadrat_and_Year, 2) Overstory_Data_and_Quadrat_Locations, 3) Plant_Species_List, and 4) Quadrat_Locations_and_Data.



DATA FILES - \Data\Quadrat_Map_Image_Files (1878 files)

1. Hill_Wild_Bill_Maps_2002_2024_wOCR.pdf: A text-searchable Portable Document Format (PDF) file containing exported map images of all digitized quadrats along with a table of contents. This PDF is especially useful for quickly stepping through all years for a single quadrat, and to visualize the evolving spatial arrangement of plant species.

2-1878. \YYYY\LOCATION\LOC-#####_YYYY.tif: Tagged Image Format (TIF) files (1877) containing each individual exported map image of all digitized quadrats (LOCATION = location name, LOC = acronym for location name, YYYY = year of sample, and ##### = Quadrat ID number).



DATA FILES - \Data\Quadrat_Spatial_Data (1 CSV file, 1 file geodatabase with 36 feature classes, and 36 shapefiles)

A description of the variables in each of these files is included in _Quadrat_Spatial_Data_Attributes.csv.

1. _Quadrat_Spatial_Data_Attributes.csv: CSV file containing a complete description of each variable in the shapefile and GDB feature classes in this folder. (This information is also provided in the metadata embedded in each of these files as well.)

Columns include:
Filename = name of file
Order in file = order the variable is provided in the file (1 = column 1, 2 = column 2, etc.)
Variable = name of variable
Indexed = whether attribute field is indexed to facilitate queries in ArcGIS (True/False). When viewed in ArcGIS, these attribute fields have an asterisk (*) after the name.
Description = description of variable

2. Combined_by_Site.gdb: File geodatabase containing all mapped quadrat data, including file geodatabase versions of all shapefiles listed in 3-38 below. The file geodatabase format stores attribute data with more precision and accuracy than shapefiles, and is faster to work with in ArcGIS software, while the shapefile format works better for non-Esri software such as R.

3. \Shapefiles\Cover_All.shp: Shapefile and associated files containing all records of plants recorded as Cover species, stored in a single shapefile to facilitate SQL queries on the full dataset.

4. \Shapefiles\Density_All.shp: Shapefile and associated files containing all records of plants recorded as Density species, stored in a single shapefile to facilitate SQL queries on the full dataset.

5-21. \Shapefiles\LOCATION_Cover.shp: Shapefiles (17) and associated files containing all Cover species recorded on all quadrats at that site (where LOCATION = location name).

22-38: \Shapefiles\LOCATION_Density.shp: Shapefiles (17) and associated files containing all Density species recorded on all quadrats at that site (where LOCATION = location name).



DATA FILES - \Data\Species_Shapefile_Extractions (1 CSV file and 32918 shapefiles)

A description of the variables in each of these files is included in _Species_Shapefile_Extractions_Attributes.csv.

1. _Species_Shapefile_Extractions_Attributes.csv: CSV file containing a complete description of each variable in the SHP files in this folder. (This information is also provided in the metadata embedded in each of these files as well.)

2-32919. \SCI_NAME_2002-2024\LOCATION_2002-2024\Quadrat_#####_2002-2024\Quadrat_#####_YYYY.shp: Shapefiles (32918 shapefiles, comprised of 197448 individual files) containing the recorded observations of a single species (where SCI_NAME = scientific name of species, LOCATION = location name, 2002-2024 are the years surveyed, YYYY = year of sample, and ##### = Quadrat ID number). (NOTE: There are cases where the plot was surveyed in that year but no individuals of that species were observed. We create an empty feature class in these cases to distinguish between years where we know the species was not present, and years where the plot simply wasn't surveyed and therefore we don't know if the species was present.)
Entity_and_Attribute_Detail_Citation:
Moore, Margaret M.; Jenness, Jeffrey S.; Laughlin, Daniel C.; Strahan, Robert T.; Bakker, Jonathan D.; Dowling, Helen E.; Springer, Judith D. 2022. Cover and density of southwestern ponderosa pine understory plants in permanent chart quadrats (2002-2020). Ecology e3661. https://doi.org/10.1002/ecy.3661
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Distribution_Information:
Distributor:
Contact_Information:
Contact_Organization_Primary:
Contact_Organization: USDA Forest Service, Research and Development
Contact_Position: Research Data Archivist
Contact_Address:
Address_Type: mailing and physical
Address: 240 West Prospect Road
City: Fort Collins
State_or_Province: CO
Postal_Code: 80526
Country: USA
Contact_Voice_Telephone: see Contact Instructions
Contact Instructions: This contact information was current as of April 2024. For current information see Contact Us page on: https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS.
Resource_Description: RDS-2021-0092-2
Distribution_Liability:
Metadata documents have been reviewed for accuracy and completeness. Unless otherwise stated, all data and related materials are considered to satisfy the quality standards relative to the purpose for which the data were collected. However, neither the author, the Archive, nor any part of the federal government can assure the reliability or suitability of these data for a particular purpose. The act of distribution shall not constitute any such warranty, and no responsibility is assumed for a user's application of these data or related materials.

The metadata, data, or related materials may be updated without notification. If a user believes errors are present in the metadata, data or related materials, please use the information in (1) Identification Information: Point of Contact, (2) Metadata Reference: Metadata Contact, or (3) Distribution Information: Distributor to notify the author or the Archive of the issues.
Standard_Order_Process:
Digital_Form:
Digital_Transfer_Information:
Format_Name: CSV
Format_Version_Number: see Format Specification
Format_Specification:
Comma-separated values file
Digital_Transfer_Option:
Online_Option:
Computer_Contact_Information:
Network_Address:
Network_Resource_Name: https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2021-0092-2
Digital_Form:
Digital_Transfer_Information:
Format_Name: GDB
Format_Version_Number: see Format Specification
Format_Specification:
Geodatabase
Digital_Transfer_Option:
Online_Option:
Computer_Contact_Information:
Network_Address:
Network_Resource_Name: https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2021-0092-2
Digital_Form:
Digital_Transfer_Information:
Format_Name: PDF
Format_Version_Number: see Format Specification
Format_Specification:
Portable Document Format file
Digital_Transfer_Option:
Online_Option:
Computer_Contact_Information:
Network_Address:
Network_Resource_Name: https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2021-0092-2
Digital_Form:
Digital_Transfer_Information:
Format_Name: SHP
Format_Version_Number: see Format Specification
Format_Specification:
Shapefile
Digital_Transfer_Option:
Online_Option:
Computer_Contact_Information:
Network_Address:
Network_Resource_Name: https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2021-0092-2
Digital_Form:
Digital_Transfer_Information:
Format_Name: TIF
Format_Version_Number: see Format Specification
Format_Specification:
Tagged Image Format file (TIFF)
Digital_Transfer_Option:
Online_Option:
Computer_Contact_Information:
Network_Address:
Network_Resource_Name: https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2021-0092-2
Fees: None
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Metadata_Reference_Information:
Metadata_Date: 20230217
Metadata_Contact:
Contact_Information:
Contact_Organization_Primary:
Contact_Organization: Jenness Enterprises
Contact_Person: Jeffrey S. Jenness
Contact_Position: GIS Analysis and Application Design
Contact_Address:
Address_Type: mailing and physical
Address: 3020 N. Schevene Blvd.
City: Flagstaff
State_or_Province: AZ
Postal_Code: 86004
Country: USA
Contact_Voice_Telephone: 928-607-4638 or 928-526-4139
Contact_Electronic_Mail_Address: jeffj@jennessent.com
Contact Instructions: This contact information was current as of original publication date. For current information see Contact Us page on: https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS.
Metadata_Contact:
Contact_Information:
Contact_Organization_Primary:
Contact_Organization: Northern Arizona University, School of Forestry
Contact_Person: Margaret M. Moore
Contact_Position: Professor
Contact_Address:
Address_Type: mailing and physical
Address: Northern Arizona University
City: Flagstaff
State_or_Province: AZ
Postal_Code: 86011
Country: USA
Contact_Voice_Telephone: 928-523-7457
Contact_Electronic_Mail_Address: Margaret.Moore@nau.edu
Contact Instructions: This contact information was current as of original publication date. For current information see Contact Us page on: https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS.
Metadata_Standard_Name: FGDC Biological Data Profile of the Content Standard for Digital Geospatial Metadata
Metadata_Standard_Version: FGDC-STD-001.1-1999
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