Simulation of the resulting sampling surface for circular sample plots of increasing area size

How does plot size effects the expected precision of estimates in a sampling study? This small simulation of the sampling surface for circular sample plots with increasing plot size shows how the (population-) variability decreases with increasing plot size. Not a surprise, the larger the plots, the lower the variability. However, observe the CV% (coefficient of variation) in relation to the plot area: plot area is increasing by the factor 10 (from 100m² to 1000m²), while the resulting reduction of the variability is much lower. Larger plots means more work and costs and we need to find a meaningful compromise between plot size and precision. From a certain point onwards, it is more meaningful to install more (independent) plots than to enlarge the plot area.
We are here using tree positions from a completely mapped experimantal plot.