SAMPLING VEGETATION ATTRIBUTES - New Mexico NRCS - US ...

GLOSSARY
evaluation: (1) an examination and judgment concerning the worth, quality, significance,
amount, degree, or condition of something; or (2) the systematic process for determining
the effectiveness of on-the-ground management actions and assessing progress toward
meeting objectives.
foliar cover: the percentage of ground covered by a downward vertical projection of the
aerial portion of plant foliage, excluding small openings in the canopy, Foliar cover is
always less than canopy cover. Total foliar cover of all species may exceed 100 percent.
forage: (1) browse and herbage which is available and can provide food for animals or be
harvested for feeding; or (2) to search for or consume forage.
F
forage production: the weight of forage that is produced within a designated period of time
or a given area. Production may be expressed as green, air dry, or oven dry weight. The
term may also be modified as to time of production such as annual, current year, or
seasonal forage production.
forb: (1) any herbaceous plant other than those in the Gramineae (true grasses),
Cyperaceae (sedges), and Juncaceae (rushes) families—i.e., any nongrass-like plant having
little or no woody material on it; or (2) a broadleaved flowering plant whose aboveground
stem does not become woody and persistent.
forestland: land on which the vegetation is dominated by trees. Lands are classified forestland
if the trees now present will provide 25 percent or greater canopy cover at maturity.
Lands not presently forestland that were originally or could become forested through
natural succession may be classified as potential natural forestland.
frequency: a quantitative expression of the presence or absence of individuals of a species in
a population. It is defined as the percentage of occurrence of a species in a series of
samples of uniform size.
G
goal: the desired state or condition that a resource management policy or program is designed
to achieve. A goal is usually not quantifiable and may not have a specific date by
which it is to be completed. Goals are the base from which objectives are developed.
(See objective.)
grass: any plant of the family Gramineae.
grassland: land on which the vegetation is dominated by grasses, grasslike plants, and/or
forbs. Non-forested lands are classified as grassland if herbaceous vegetation provides at
least 80 percent of the canopy cover excluding trees. Lands not presently grassland that
were originally or could become grassland through natural succession may be classified as
potential natural grassland.
grasslike plant: a plant of the Cyperaceae or Juncaceae families which vegetatively resembles
a true grass of the Gramineae family.
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