Identification of oak species is an important part of natural resource science and field work, but there exists little quantitative information about the reliability of individuals to make these identifications. This study examines the reliability among forestry students and faculty at The University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point when identifying oak species from herbarium specimens. Percent agreement ranged from 10 to 100 percent and inter-rater reliability was consistently fair. Both measures were highest for graduate students, the group with consistent field experience identifying oak species and a relatively high self-perceived level of competence. These results have implications when designing experiments or comparative studies, which require observers to identify oaks to the species level, and for forestry monitoring programs, which generate trend data using different staff over long time periods.
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