Where are there areas with educational or esthetic value. The inventory of the understory on the site can be accomplished using one of four different sampling strategies. Choose the method that best meets your needs at the present time. Whatever method you choose, be aware that an inventory will need to be compiled once in the spring then later in the year. This is because some of the woodland plants are ephemerals.
Ephemerals appear, blossom and fruit before the trees leaf out, then disappear from sight.
Compile a list of the understory plants that you observe during a walk-through of your site. This method is useful for studying patterns along a gradient. The length of a transect varies. Ten meter line transects with one meter intervals is a reasonable length for students to work with. List species present in a defined area.