Table 2.

Description of vegetation strata as described in the Ecological Land Site Description Manual (Alberta Sustainable Resource Development, 2003)^a.

Code	Strata	Definition
T1	Tree (main canopy)	Trees that make up the upper part of the height distribution population and form the general layer of the canopy or foliage
T2	Tree (understory)	Trees and/or shrubs whose crowns extend into the bottom of the general level of the canopy or are located below the main canopy. Trees and/or shrubs must exceed 5 m height
S1	Shrub (tall)	All woody plants between 2–5 m tall (includes seedlings/saplings)
S2	Shrub (medium)	Shrubs and seedlings/saplings between 0.5–2 m tall
S3	Shrub (low)	All woody plants up to 0.5 m tall
H	Herbs (forbs)	Record all forb species regardless of height
G	Grass/graminoid	Record graminoids (grasses, sedges, rushes)
M	Moss	Record all bryophytes
L	Lichen	Lichen species growing on dominant substrate (usually mineral or organic soil) included
E	Epiphytes	Lichens or mosses growing on other plants, usually trees or shrubs
F	Fungi	Fungi (excluding lichen) growing on dominant substrate – mushrooms

^aThe S1 to S3 strata categories could be further subdivided into shrub and seedling/sapling sub-categories if finer detail is desired.