Vegetation cover and surface elevation data in restored wetlands at the J.D. Murphree Wildlife Management Area, Texas, 2024

Vegetation cover and surface elevation data were collected in restored marshes at the J.D. Murphree Wildlife Management Area in Texas, USA. Data were collected in late April and early May of 2024. Data were collected in 0.25 m² plots strategically placed along habitat transition zones between cover classes. Cover classes, listed from lowest to highest mean surface elevation, included Open Water, Oystergrass (dominated by Spartina alterniflora), Wiregrass (dominated by Spartina patens), Saltgrass (dominated by Distichlis spicata), and Bare Ground. Vegetation cover data includes percent total cover, percent cover by species, average height, and dominant stem heights. Surface elevation data were collected using real-time network surveying and referenced to the North American Vertical Datum of 1988 (NAVD88) using the Trimble 12i global navigation satellite system. Coordinates (UTM 15) of plots, referenced to the North American Datum of 1983, are also included in the data.