Aggregated moss layer projective vegetation cover at 32 sites in Northwestern Canada, in Summer 2022 (CA-Land_2022_NWCanada)

Vegetation surveys were carried out in Northwest Territories, Yukon and British Columbia in Canada. The study area is within the boreal forest biome and is partially underlain by permafrost soils. The aim was to record the projective ground vegetation in different boreal forest types studied during the CA-Land_2022_NWCanada field campaign in July and August 2022. The ground vegetation projective cover in percent was assessed within a circular forest plot of 15m radius. Depending on the heterogeneity of the forest plot, multiple vegetation types (VA, VB, or VC) were surveyed separately. The assignment of a vegetation type is always unique to a site. Up to four quadrats of 2x2 m were surveyed per vegetation type and projective cover in percent recorded separately for herbaceous and moss layers. Additionally, ground vegetation projective cover was surveyed in 4 rings of 50 cm width around the center of the circular forest plot. Average projective cover per plot was calculated by using an average weighted by vegetation types for each site. The ring survey data was not included in the plot average. In total 32 forest plots were investigated. All data were collected by scientists from the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI) Germany, and the University of Potsdam Germany.