The whole Carson City team\u00a0drove to the coast<\/p>\n
To be trained at a university research outpost.<\/p>\n
We met agency employees and consultants<\/p>\n
Every one of whom about plants was exultant.<\/p>\n
The instructors were such plant enthusiasts,<\/p>\n
That we didn’t mind\u00a0foggy weather forecasts.<\/p>\n
They also knew all the local vegetation<\/p>\n
And were able to help us through all our frustration.<\/p>\n
The goal of the course was to learn about classes<\/p>\n
Of California vegetation, of which there are masses.<\/p>\n
The book listing them all is such a huge tome<\/p>\n
That there’s no way we ever could bring one back home.<\/p>\n
We practiced two methods for determining types,<\/p>\n
Though agreeing on answers caused quite a few gripes.<\/p>\n
Estimating cover was somewhat contentious<\/p>\n
And about their judgment a few were pretentious.<\/p>\n
Finally our decisions were all calibrated,<\/p>\n
And similar values each species was rated.<\/p>\n
We learned to classify both plots and whole stands<\/p>\n
And tried out the methods in valleys and uplands.<\/p>\n
We learned how the data would be analyzed,<\/p>\n
And how vegetation types for each point be advised.<\/p>\n
Each type is defined by species and their cover —<\/p>\n
It’s quite thrilling when the right one is discovered.<\/p>\n
Now every time we go out to find seeds<\/p>\n
We’ll look differently at associated species.<\/p>\n
How rare is this veg type? What patterns are there?<\/p>\n
We see vegetation types change everywhere.<\/p>\n
It’s a whole different way to look at a landscape<\/p>\n
And when we\u00a0look out, a map starts to take shape.<\/p>\n
Just imagine if every type someday were defined<\/p>\n
And on a big map communities were outlined.<\/p>\n
This level of detail gives so much information<\/p>\n
Vital for landscape management plan\u00a0creation.<\/p>\n
Thanks CNPS, and our amazing teachers,<\/p>\n
For showing us a new lens for\u00a0ecological features.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The whole Carson City team\u00a0drove to the coast To be trained at a university research outpost. We met agency employees and consultants Every one of whom about plants was exultant. The instructors were such plant enthusiasts, That we didn’t mind\u00a0foggy … Continue reading