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Make your own fieldwork equipment: Vegetation sward height

Key Stage Three Key Stage Four Key Stage Five Key Stage Two Fieldwork

What you need

Perspex disc approximately 30cm diameter with a ruler shaped slot cut in the middle
Half metre or metre rule

What you do

Ask your DT department or local DIY store to cut out your Perspex discs to your specifications and drill out the rectangular hole in the centre. Ensure that the hole is large enough to slot a half meter or a meter rule through. Place the zero end of the rule on the ground and drop the Perspex disc down over it. The disc will find the average level of the vegetation sward. Record the measurement from the rule.

When you use it

This home made drop disc is used to measure variations in vegetation sward height across a site or between sites. Adding a grid to a clear Perspex disc will enable percentage coverage of vegetation or particular species to be calculated at the same time.