Data collection method
(1) Nursery seedlings grown April – September 2016 consisted of different stock types. Stock types were a result of different time intervals which fireweed was sown into the container with green alder. Stock types consisted of fireweed sown with alder at the same time (0 weeks), alder grew for 2 weeks and then fireweed was sown into the container with green alder, and alder grew for 4 weeks and then fireweed was sown into the container with green alder, as well as independently grown green alder and fireweed.
Depiction of the stock types.
(3) Measurements were taken 1 year after planting (August 2017). The hitchhiker seedling growth traits measured included the shrub and forb height, vegetation cover (%) and survivorship or occurrence (%). To evaluate the effect of different stock types on the community surrounding hitchhiker seedlings, species level vegetation cover (%) was measured within a 0.5m^2 quadrat with the seedling centered in the quadrat. Species level data was then categorized into grass, native forb, non-native forb, and woody vegetation cover (%) for each stock type and block.
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