I am starting my dissertation next September and will need to collect my data this summer. I am looking to collect around 6-8 sample cores from each tree, but how many trees would people recommend taking cores from?
Research objectives are most important, but number of trees also depends on what climate region you're working in. 15-20 is fine for semi-arid or wherever trees are very sensitive to climate parameters. 30 is good for temperate forests. Also, the number of cores/tree depends on the diameter of a tree. 8 cores per tree is too many for a diameter of 1m or less!