These instructions will help you find percent cover of a type of plant.

Look straight down. Imagine an outline of the plant and estimate the area within that outline. For an irregular shaped plant (f), imagine the line around the shape.

( b) If there is more than one plant of the same type, add the percent of the area covered by all the plants.

(c) If a low growing plant has other plants towering over it, include the total area it covers even areas where other plants are above it.

(d) Include only plants that are rooted in the quadrat. If a plant is hanging out of quadrat but is rooted within it, include the area that the plant covers within the quadrat only. The compass plant (a) is rooted outside the quadrat. Don't count it.

(e) If a plant towers over other plants, include the entire area the plant covers, even where other plants are below it.

Do not include dead plants, although brown areas of living plants should be included.