Forest Vegetation Monitoring Protocol for the North Coast and Cascades Network
Acker SA, Woodward A, Boetsch JR, Hutten K, Bivin M, Rochefort R, Copass Thompson C, Whiteaker L. 2010. Forest Vegetation Monitoring Protocol for the North Coast and Cascades Network. Natural Resource Report. NPS/NCCN/NRR—2010/242. National Park Service. Fort Collins, Colorado
Current version of the NCCN Forest Monitoring Protocol (revised from first published version by Woodward et al., 2009). Late-successional, coniferous forest is critical for ecosystem function and biological conservation in the Pacific Northwest. Such forests are well-represented in the North Coast and Cascades Network (NCCN) of the National Park Service. We expect that climate change and air pollution are the greatest threats to national parks in the Pacific Northwest. Throughout western North America, tree mortality in unmanipulated forests has begun to increase in recent decades. As part of Vital Signs Monitoring for the NCCN, we have begun to track trends in tree recruitment, growth, and mortality in forests representing the range of environments in network parks. We have established 35, 1-hectare plots in three parks (Mount Rainier, North Cascades, Olympic), at elevations from sea-level to 1800 m. We intend to establish additional plots at San Juan Island National Historical Park, Lewis & Clark National Historical Park, and North Cascades National Park. We will assess tree mortality annually, and record tree recruitment and growth every five years. Monitoring to understand changes in unmanipulated forests in national parks will help managers of harvested lands to practice sustainable management in the face of increasing environmental threats. Monitoring can also provide early warning of the types and severity of future changes in the parks themselves, so that management options can be developed and evaluated in time to be effective.
- Type
- Published Report
- Authors
- Acker, Steven; Woodward, Andrea; Boetsch, John; Hutten, Karen; Bivin, Mignonne; Rochefort, Regina; Copass Thompson, Catherine; Whiteaker, Lou
- Date of Issue
- 2010-09
- Publisher
- National Park Service
- Units
- IMDP , LEWI , MORA , NOCA , NRSS , OLYM , SAJH
- Keywords
- Forest, forest monitoring, Long Term Monitoring, Mount Rainier National Park, NCCN Monitoring Protocol, North Cascades National Park Service Complex, North Coast and Cascades Network, Olympic National Park, Plant Communities, plant composition, plant cover, Plant diversity, Productivity, Recruitment, Seedling trees, Vegetation
- Subjects
- Ecological Framework: Biological Integrity | Focal Species or Communities | Forest/Woodland Communities