Spherical Crown Denstometer, Convex Spherical crown, tool of scientific collector, Forestry Suppliers

A spherical crown densiometer, convex, is a specialized forestry tool used for measuring the canopy cover or foliage density in a forest or other vegetated area. It is particularly useful in forest ecology and management for assessing the degree of canopy closure. Canopy closure is an important metric in forestry because it affects factors like light penetration, plant growth, and habitat for wildlife. The term "convex" likely refers to the shape of the densiometer. Convex densiometers have a spherical or dome-shaped lens that you look through to assess canopy cover. When you look through the densiometer, you can see how much of the canopy is visible through the lens, and this information can be used to estimate the canopy cover percentage. It works on the principle that the more closed the canopy is, the less of it you can see through the densiometer.

Instruction:-

Hold Instrument Level 12"-18" in front of body and at elbow height, so that operator's head is just outside of grid area.

Assume four equi-spaced dots in each square of the grid and systematically count dots equivalent to quarter-square canopy openings.

Multiply the total count by 1.04 to obtain percent of overhead area not occupied by canopy. The difference between this and 100 is an estimation of overstory density in percent ( Assuming each dot to represent one percent is often accurate enough.)

Make four reading per location- Facing North, East, South, and West- Record and average