A distance limited method for sampling downed coarse woody debris

A new sampling method for down coarse woody debris is proposed based on limiting the perpendicular distance from individual pieces to a randomly chosen sample point. Two approaches are presented that allow different protocols to be used to determine field measurements; estimators for each protocol are also developed. Both protocols are compared via simulation against existing sampling methods that are closely related in terms of theory and field implementation. The new method performed well in comparison to both fixed-area plot and perpendicular distance sampling, and may provide some simplifications in operational field use.

► A new method for sampling down coarse woody debris is developed.
► The method provides traditional (Horvitz-Thompson) and Monte Carlo measurement variants.
► Simulation experiments show that the new method performs well against competing methods.