2.7 | Measurements of the effect of deer exclosure on
plant percent cover and height
Percent cover and maximum height of the four species were measured in
fall 2019, after 6.5 years of the fencing or no-fencing treatment.
Percent cover was estimated in each of the sixteen 0.25
m2 subplots per plot, formed by blindly tossing a
quadrat frame into each 1 m2 section of the 16
m2 plot. Percent cover was recorded as 0,
>0-10%, >10%-20%, etc. The midpoints of the
ranges were averaged to provide one cover score per 16
m2 plot. Maximum height was recorded on all
individuals of the species in a 0.5 m x 4 m belt transect in each plot.
For each species, a one-tailed t-test for the difference between percent
cover or mean heights was conducted using the Analysis Toolpak in Excel
2019.