The field work was conducted over two field seasons in September and October of 2012 and 2013. Our sampling approach
used 7 m radius subplots (0.0154 ha) nested within a 0.52 ha square plot. The purpose of the subplots was to accommodate inherent spatial variation within the plot that was represented in the mangrove stands. During the first season, 12 plots containing 6 subplots, were sampled. Analyses of the 2012 data demonstrated that the number of subplots could be reduced to 5 without a loss in precision, so the number of subplots sampled in 2013 was reduced to 5. We also used the 2012 tree basal area data to determine the total number of plots needed to complete the inventory
in during the 2013 field mission. The appropriate sampling size, defined as having a mean with a confidence interval of ±20%, was determined to be 52 plots, using procedures outlined by Bartlett et al. (2001). Accordingly, 40 additional plots each with 5 subplots were sampled in 2013.