Sampling

Abstract

In vegetation survey, sampling is the description, quantitatively and/or qualitatively, of examples of vegetation stands. It is irrelevant whether or not material is taken home or to the laboratory for measurement, determination, weighing etc. As far as measuring is concerned this may be done accurately or by estimation. Sampling has two purposes:

• a) to collect data by close observation in order to provide knowledge of the object. This knowledge is used for classification and for evaluation in a scientific and practical (applied) sense (‘data points’);

• b) to supply points to serve as fixed references for the delineations on the map (‘hang points’).