1-Week Paired Tree Height and Land Cover Intensive Observation Periods

 

1-Week Paired Tree Height and Land Cover Intensive Observation Periods for 2024-2025

Stay tuned for upcoming IOPs!

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Past IOPs:

The Trees Around the GLOBE Student Research Campaign will be having a 1-Week Tree Height and Land Cover Intensive Observation Period (IOP) from 21 March - 28 March, 2023. This IOP will focus on taking land cover observations at the origin point of a tree height observation and at the base of the tree. We are striving for participants to take 2 land cover observations and 1 tree height observation at the same location. Please see the shareable below for the step-by-step instructions.


 

The Steps:

Origin Point

  • At Origin Point: 25-75 ft (7.6-22.8m) from tree base, take 1st Land Cover observation with GLOBE Observer Land Cover Tool.
  • At Origin Point, begin Tree Height observation. This will allow us to now the GPS coordinates of the location where your tree height observation was started.

Origin Point to End Point

  • Beginning at the Origin Point and Finishing at the End Point, take one tree height observation with the GLOBE Observer Trees Tool. Remember to bring your tape measure and take the optional tree circumference observation.
  • Make sure that you can walk to the base of the tree, in a straight line, with no obstacles. Remember to walk using your normal stride* to the base of the tree.

End Point

  • At End Point: Take 2nd Land Cover observation, with the GLOBE Observer Land Cover Tool, at the base of the tree after finishing your tree height observation.
  • This land cover observation will allow for a view of the tree understory and ground surface at tree base, observations vital to learning about the tree’s environment.

Additional Information: In the “Comments” box, just prior to submitting your land cover and/or tree height data, add comments about the health of your location. We are asking this because the 2023 theme for the International Day of Forests is “Forests and Health.”

Protocols to use for the IOP

The GLOBE Program's app, GLOBE Observer

Land Cover Tool

Trees Tool

*If you are unsatisfied with the stride length the GLOBE Observer automatically calculates for you, based on your height, you can use the "GLOBE Find Your Pace Activity Guide." Also, please note that you can add your manual stride length in the app, just prior to submitting your GLOBE Observer tree height observation.