Twelve Signs That You’re a Member of the Terrestrial Team

1. You see tree rings through a microscope (complete with cross hairs for measuring) whenever you go to sleep
2. You know the difference between loamy sand and sandy loam
3. You can estimate the carbon content of a given amount of biomass based on how it smells while it’s combusting
4. You secretly hope you’ll get an increment borer for your birthday
5. You know what a clinometer is (but not necessarily how to use it)
6. You are amazed that nearly 4000 grams of moss can fit in a 1 m² quadrant, in addition to the shrubs, woody debris, other plants, and dog
7. You get overly excited when the 100^th ring of a tree does not land on an extremely skinny ring, but rather the much wider one next to it
8. You can calculate how far you could throw a stump based on its DBH
9. You haven’t forgiven John for leaving the soil auger in Pleistocene Park
10. You become increasingly anxious when approaching every 10^th ring of a tree core while measuring
11. You have calluses on your hands from sanding off your skin while processing tree cores
12. If you came across a plot full of wet, silty soil and thick with trees (that were also rotten on the inside), you would give it a site name of <**^%E@*!>

Special thanks to Allison and Sam for help on compiling this list!

The 2011 terrestrial team – Dylan, Sam and Allison – enjoys a sunset from the roof of Orbita. © Becky Tachihara