In her well illustrated report, Melanie Diedrich of Archaeological Macroflora Identification (AMI) provides a general overview of organic preservation potential and sampling methodology.  She answers these questions: What are we looking for? Where are they found? Why are they found there? And how do we sample for them? Charred, Uncharred, or Absent—The potential for organic preservation and what to do about it….

Melanie Diedrich, of Archaeological Macroflora Identification (AMI) based in Olympia, WA., USA provdes soil processing services, identification of seeds and other plant remains, and artifact illustration services.