Historical tree and shrub measurements on the Stanislaus National Forest: 1911 timber survey data

This data publication contains tree and shrub measurements collected on the Stanislaus National Forest as part of a systematic timber inventory collected across a large mixed-conifer dominated landscape by the USDA Forest Service in 1911. Trees were tallied by species, diameter and height within 40 x 400 meter strips that spanned the center of quarter-quarter sections (QQs) delineated by the Public Land Survey System. Cover of shrubs and understory was determined using an ocular estimate.
These data were used to gain insight into the interaction between disturbances and vegetation structure and composition prior to 20th century land management practices. Our findings highlight some key aspects of forest structure under an intact disturbance regime: 1) forests were low density, with mean live basal area and tree density ranging 8-30 square meters per hectare (m²/ha) and 25-79 trees per ha, respectively; 2) understory and overstory structure and composition varied considerably across the landscape; and 3) elevational gradients largely explained variability in forest structure over the landscape. Furthermore, the presence of large trees across most of the surveyed area suggests that extensive stand-replacing disturbances were rare in these forests. The vegetation structure and composition characteristics we quantified, along with evidence of largely elevational control on these characteristics, can provide guidance for restoration efforts in similar forests.
Original metadata date was 04/29/2015. Minor metadata updates made on 12/14/2016 and 05/07/2020.