An Evaluation of Density Sampling Methods in a Shrub Community

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Abstract
Bitterbrush density in a known-parameter population was estimated using 19 different variations of quadrat and plotless sampling techniques. It was found that: many methods would not produce a correct answer with any size sample; all methods required unreasonably large samples to attain acceptable precision; and several methods required more effort than counting all plants on 1 to 2 acres. Visual estimation techniques or nonrandom sampling methods may provide a more realistic approach to the density sampling problem.