Thank you all for your many insightful responses. Perhaps I can clarify a little bit. The research is already designed to gather plot-level information on vegetation physiognomy (canopy height and density, DBH, tree condition, percent of plot that is meadow, forest, bare ground, downed wood, etc.), as well as soil attributes and hydrology. In addition, I did intend to use the 10-cm square sub-quadrats to represent single points to gather presence/absence of either species or type (sedge, forb, grass), and average height. Is there a systematic way to place a large number of these in a 15-m square circular plot, besides limiting them to orthogonal cross-transects? I will make sure to consult the texts recommended to me; maybe I will find my answers there.
Again, thank you for the help!
