What is the recommended distance between plots in a stand?

• A. 4-6 chains apart
• B. 8-10 chains apart
• C. 2-3 chains apart
• D. 12-14 chains apart

Answer: (A)

Plot spacing in a stand is chosen to balance capturing variation across the stand with the practicality of fieldwork and avoiding double-counting the same trees. Four to six chains apart is preferred because it places plots far enough apart to reduce overlap and spatial autocorrelation, while still keeping the sampling dense enough to capture the stand’s typical variability. In practical terms, 4-6 chains equals about 264 to 396 feet (roughly 80 to 120 meters), a workable distance for field crews that provides representative coverage without excessive travel. Plots set much closer risk counting the same trees in multiple plots, leading to biased or redundant data, whereas plots set much farther apart can miss important local variation and require more effort to cover the stand.