Some Ways of Looking at a Landscape

• Composition in terms of percent native vs. non-native cover
• Relative biodiversity in relation to other landscapes
• Subjective aesthetic value
• Relative biological productivity
• Relative economic potential (measured in board-feet, etc.)
• Dynamic position in terms of successional stage
• Relative potential to support different types of cover (malleability)
• Composition in terms of percentage of herbaceous, shrub, and tree cover
• Relative rarity of cover type
• Relative resilience to disturbance

Richness:  Throw down a one-foot diameter ring and count the number of plant species inside.  

• Minimum of 0-1 species, e.g. in a forest or …
• Maximum of ca. 20? species at Lucille’s Court meadow (should try it there—could even be several species inside a one-inch ring)