LTER Zöbelboden, Austria, Vegetation data 1993 - 2014

Over the whole study area, a rectangular grid of 100 by 100 m with 10x10 m permanent plots at every grid corner and the middle points (totalling 167, excluding rock outcrops, and young plantations of less than 20 years) was established in 1993. Vegetation resurveys were made in 2005, 2008, 2010 and 2014. 22 of the 167 plots could not be relocated in every survey year, as the corner marks were temporarily destroyed by slope movements or uprooting of trees. Surveys were carried out during the main growing season (July, August) to avoid phenological bias. All vascular plant species occurring at the plots were recorded and their cover was estimated (see details in the data file). Woody species were assigned to five different vegetation strata depending on their height: herb layer (0-60 cm), shrub layer (60-300 cm), tree layer 3, tree layer 2 and tree layer 1. To eliminate errors of misidentification, we pooled the following closely related and taxonomically difficult species: Senecio ovatus Willd. and S. nemorensis L. (to Senecio nemorensis agg), Dryopteris carthusiana H.P.Fuchs and D. dilatata A.Gray (to Dryopteris carthusiana agg.). Bryophytes and lichens were not recorded in all years and were therefore excluded from the data set.