Identity: YNPgrid89_data.txt
Size: 7800 records, not including header row.
Format and storage mode: ASCII text, tab delimited. No compression scheme was used.
Header information: See variable names in Section B.
Alphanumeric attributes: Uppercase
Special characters/fields: Missing data denoted as “.”
Authentication procedures: Column sums, see table below.
SITE: Name of sampling grid: MLRD=Mallard, MYST=Mystic and HART=Heart
TRANS: Letter identifying transect within sampling grid ranging from letters A through J oriented from west to east.
POINT: Number identifying sampling point within each transect. Each transect contained sampling points numbered 1 through 10 oriented from south to north.
YEAR: Year sampling took place. All sampling conducted in July of 1989.
SLOP: Topographic slope (degrees) at each sampling point.
ASP: Topographic aspect of sampling point. Values can include N, S, E, W, NW, NE, SW, SE or X. A value of X indicates a virtually flat topography.
BURN: Burn severity classes were defined as follows:
0=unburned, no sign of fire effects;
1=light surface burn. Low-intensity surface fire in which canopy trees retain green needles and generally did not die, although some stems scorched. Soil organic layer still largely intact, though burned in small patches.
2=severe surface burn. High-intensity surface fire with extensive canopy tree mortality, but needles on canopy trees are not consumed by fire; pre-fire soil organic layer largely consumed, but soil covered by dead leaves fallen from the canopy after the fire.
3=crown fire. Needles of canopy trees completely consumed by fire; soil organic layer almost entirely consumed, and soil is bare with no litter.
SUCC: Prefire successional stage classes (as in Despain 1990) were derived from sampling a chronosequence of stands that originated following fires at various times in the last 400 years. The resulting classes are defined as follows:
LP0 (0-40 yrs) = Recently burned lodgepole pine stands in the grass to seedling/sapling stage before canopy closure; trees usually < 2 m in height.
LP1 (40-150 yrs) = Closed canopy of even-aged, often dense lodgepole pine; young pole stage.
LP2 (150-300 yrs) = Closed canopy dominated by lodgepole pine; overstory still largely intact; understory may contain small conifers, but is generally open and park like.
LP3 (>300 yrs)=Canopy quite irregular, predominantly of old lodgepole pine but containing some Engelman spruce, subalpine fir and whitebark pine in the pole-sized class; understory usually dense.
SF0, SF1, SF2, SF3 are pre-fire successional stages for spruce-fir forest. Additional categories included SHR=shrub, BOG=bog, and WET=open water.
BEETL: Pre-fire mountain pine beetle damage within the stand was visually estimated and categorized as follows: none (0%), light (1-10%), moderate (10-50%), or severe (>50%).
MISTL: Pre-fire mistletoe damage within the stand was visually estimated and categorized as follows: none (0%), light (1-10%), moderate (10-50%), or severe (>50%).
PICO, ABLA, PIEN, NUMPIAL: Number of prefire Pinus contorta, Abies lasiocarpa , Picea engelmannii, and Pinus albicaulis (respectively) taller than breast height within 50m² circular plot.
BPICO, BABLA, BPIAL: Number of prefire Pinus contorta, Abies lasiocarpa and Pinus albicaulis (respectively) smaller than breast height within 50m² circular plot.
FORB, GRASS, SHRUB, BARE, MIN: Estimated percent cover of forbs, graminoids, shrubs, litter, and exposed mineral soil respectively. Average of four measurements each within a 1m² circular plot.
NUMPICO1: Number of post-fire Pinus contorta seedlings per meter2
ASH: Depth of ash in mm as distinguished by texture and color. Average of four measurements each within a 1m² circular plot.
CHAR: Depth of charred soil in mm as distinguished by color. Average of 4 measurements each within a 1m² circular plot