Ranking Species Contribution to Forest Community Composition:

Calculation of Importance Values

One measure of the relative dominance of species in a forest community is
called the Importance Value (IV). Importance values rank species within a site
based upon three criteria:
1) how commonly a species occurs across the entire forest;
2) the total number of individuals of the species; and
3) the total amount of forest area occupied by the species.
Importance value = Relative frequency + Relative density
+ Relative dominance
To obtain importance values one must first determine the frequency, density,
and dominance of each species within the community through a forest
inventory.
Frequency: the percentage of inventory points occupied by a given
species, a measure of species distribution across the site
Density: the average number of individuals per unit area (per acre or
hectare)
Dominance: the average dominance each species within the study
area is estimated by its total basal area per unit area (ft2 per acre or
m2 per hectare )
Basal Area (BA): The cross sectional area of each tree stem
measured at 4.5 ft (1.37 m) above the ground. This value is normally
obtained from diameter and can be calculated using one of the
following equations:
BA in ft2 = dbh2 (inches) * 0.005454
BA in m2 = dbh2 (cm) * 0,00007854
To compare communities that may differ in size, or that were sampled at
different intensities, importance values are calculated using relative rather
than absolute values.
Relative frequency: Number of occurrences of 1 species as a
percentage of the total number of occurrences of all species.
Relative density: Number of individuals of one species as a
percentage of the total number of individuals of all species

Relative basal area: Total basal area of one species as a percentage

of the total basal area of all species.

To calculate importance values you need to obtain inventory data of the forest
community. One way to do this is to establish a series of inventory plots of a
specified size. Circular plots work well because it is easy to measure plot
radius from the center of the circle and determine which trees are within the
plot boundary. The plots size you choose may depend upon the average size of
the trees in your study area. Choose a larger plot size if the trees are large,
and a smaller plot size if most of the trees are small.
Within each plot you should record the following information for each tree
stem*:
1) Species name
2) Diameter at breast height (dbh): 1.37 m (4.5 ft)
* Only those stems taller than breast height (1.37 m; 4.5 ft) are generally
included. If you are only interested in larger trees you can choose to limit your
inventory to those stems over a specified diameter
Importance Values Calculations:
Frequency: The number of plots in which a given species is found
divided by the total number of plots sampled.
Density: The total number of individuals tallied for a given species
divided by the total area of the measured plots (in acres or hectares)
(=trees per acre or trees per hectare)
Dominance (Basal Area): sum of the basal area of each tree of a
species from all plots divided by the total area of all of the measured
plots (= in ft2 per acre or m2 per hectare).
Tree Basal Area:
stem dbh (in) * dbh (in) * 0.005454 = BA in ft2 per tree
stem dbh (cm) * dbh (cm) * 0.00007854 = BA in m2 per
tree.
Relative frequency: Frequency of a given species divided by the sum
of the frequencies of all of the species * 100.
Relative density: Density of a given species divided by the sum of
the densities of all of the species* 100.
Relative Dominance: Basal area of a given species divided by the
sum of the basal areas of all of the species * 100.
Importance Value: Relative frequency + Relative Density + Relative
Basal Area for each species
(The maximum importance value for any one species is 300 (100 +
100 + 100).

After calculations are complete species can be ranker from high to low for
comparison with other sites
Note: Importance values can also be calculated on a 200 scale. When this is
done the frequency calculation is left off and only relative dominance and
relative density are included.
For values in metric: Multiply trees per acre by 2.47 to get trees per ha
Multiply ft2 per acre by 0.23 to get m2 per ha
References
Curtis, J.T. and McIntosh, R.P. 1951. An upland forest continuum in the priarieforest border region of Wisconsin. Ecology 31: 476-96.
Kent, M. and Coker, P. 1992. Vegetation Description and Analysis, A Practical
Approach. John Wiley and Sons, NY, pp 167-169.

Sample Exercise
Comparison of Species Importance Values on two Different Landscape
positions on the Cumberland Plateau
Objectives:
1) To calculate species importance values
2) To use importance values to characterize forest communities on
two landscape positions: convex ridge and concave drainage
Supplies per group:
map, compass, Dbh tape (cm)
ruler, center pins, metric tape
clip board, pin flags
Field Methods
1) Each of 3 groups will inventory 6 plotsthree ridge and three drainage
landscape positions. (The overall class plot total will be 9 ridge and 9 drainage
plots.)
2) At each inventory point mark plot center with a flag.
3) Use the engineers tape to identify and tally trees within a radius of 5.7 m
from plot center. (This is the radius of a 0.01 ha plot.) Beginning from an
imaginary N line, work clockwise around the plot. For each tree, identify the
species and diameter to the nearest 0.1 cm. Only include individuals that are

1.37 m tall. Exclude dead stems. It may help to place a pin flag at the base
of the first tree you measure so that you do not measure it again when you
complete the circle.

Data Entry and Computations:

1) Enter all of the data in a spread sheet with columns that are similar to
those in Table 1. Use abbreviations for species names to facilitate data entry.
Use the first two letters of the genus and the first two letters of the specific
epithet ( Liriodendron tulipifera = LITU; Quercus alba = QUAL) Be careful with
spelling!
Table 1. Sample table for data entry for 1 plot with 6
trees on the ridge position.
Landscape Position Plot Species DBH(cm) Tree BA(m2)
R
1
ACRU
3.5
0.000962
R
1
ACRU
38.1
0.114009
R
R
R

1
1
1

QUAL
QUAL
QUAL

4.1
3.2
25.3

0.001320
0.000804
0.050273

QUAL

30.1

0.071158

2) Use the Sort function in your spreadsheet program to sort the data by
landscape position, species, and plot. This will allow you to determine
importance values separately for the two different landscape positions.
For each landscape position:
3) Determine frequency: Add a new column to the spreadsheet and title it
"Freqency". Count the number of plots in which each species is found. Divide
this number by the total number of plots surveyed and record it next to the
first listing for a species in a new spreadsheet column.
4) Determine density: Add a new column to the spreadsheet and call it
"Density" . Count the number of trees per species, and divide by the total area
surveyed* and add this to the new column). * area surveyed = # plots per
landscape position* 0.01 ha each
5) Determine dominance (basal area): Add a new column to the spreadsheet
entitled "Tree BA". Calculate BA from diameter using the equation:
BA (m2 ha-1) = dbh (cm)2 * 0.00007854
Sum the basal area for each tree species and divide by the total area
surveyed* and add this to a new column (See Table 1"BA per ha").
6) Copy all of the data to a new worksheet. (Use the "Paste Special" option to

copy the values and not the formulae) Sort the data by any of the three last
columns and delete all rows except those that have data in the last three
columns. Next delete the following columns: Plot, dbh, and Tree BA. Calculate
the sum of the Freq., Density, and BA columns.
7) Add four more columns labeled Relative frequency, Relative Density,
Relative Dominance, and Importance Value to the chart. Use the formulas
listed earlier in this exercise to calculate the Relative frequency, Relative
Density, Relative Dominance, and Importance Value for the first species on the
list. Copy this formula down to get the values for the rest of the species.
8) Sort the data so that each chart lists the species in descending order of
Importance Values.

Data Analysis
1) How do the two landscape positions differ in their ability to support forest
tree growth?
2) Using the differences you have identified in question 1, compare the ranking
of the trees in the two landscape positions. Use information from Silvics of
North America about the growth needs of species to discuss any differences
you found in species dominance on the two sites.
Silvics of North America can be found online in its full text version at the
following web site:
(http://www.na.fs.fed.us/spfo/pubs/silvics_manual/table_of_contents.htm).
Silvics of North America: 1. Conifers. R.M. Burns, and B.H. Honkala (tech.
coords.). Agriculture Handbook 654. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest
Service, Washington
Silvics of North America: 2. Hardwoods. R.M. Burns, and B.H. Honkala (tech.
coords.). Agriculture Handbook 654. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest
Service, Washington