Summary
The Field Identification Skills Certificate (FISC) is a practical assessment designed to evaluate a person’s ability to identify vascular plants. Its primary goal is to measure botanical identification skills in realistic field conditions using a diverse selection of plant species.
Description
Candidates participate in a FISC assessment day that comprises of 3 tests:
Lab test 1 - to identify ten specimens without using any books or keys
Lab test 2 - to identify twenty specimens using any books or keys, but no reference collections or on-line resources may be used
Field test - you will spend approximately two hours surveying a small site and recording the vascular plant species you can identify. At the same time, a Gold Standard Surveyor (a botanical expert) will also survey the same site. Your findings are then compared against the Gold Standard Surveyor’s list of recorded plants to establish the skill level you have.
