Data Preparation 1
Data preparation
Data collection for this project was part of cooperative members 'in-kind' contribution to the project. Process of collection starts with fall field measurements and recorded data forward to Central location which is the Western Boreal Aspen Cooperative. Thirty different experiments were used with up to 8 years of data per trial collection on some trials from 6 different sources.
see Provenance for list of trials
The variation in the way data was recorded needed to be standardized so that one large flat file could be created. All deviations where noted and dealt with according:
(A general statement would be the quality of the data is exceptional, however standardized formatting is needed for both current and future data sets)
Collection schedule for each experiment starts in the year of establishment as follows:
Measure height, root collar diameter, and if trees tall enough diameter beast height in years: 1, 3, 5, & 7. Comparison between all trials at same age was needed for analysis therefore supplemental measurements where needed for 2002 to get a 5 year data set before analysis could begin.