Implementation of a long-term vegetation monitoring program at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore

Sanders, Suzanne; Grochowski, Jessica

We initiated a long-term vegetation monitoring program at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore (SLBE) in summer 2009. The goals of this monitoring program are to detect forest change and to draw inferences about forest health so that management recommendations can be provided to Network parks. In 2009, we established 50 plots at SLBE, distributed among five habitat types: 1) very dry to dry, nutrient poor, 2) dry to dry mesic, poor to medium nutrient availability, 3) mesic, medium to very rich nutrient availability, 4) mesic to wet mesic, nutrient poor, and 5) plantation. Data collected included tree species and diameter at breast height (DBH) for all individuals ≥2.6 cm DBH, sapling density, and coarse woody material. In the driest habitat, both jack pine and red pine are exhibiting signs of regeneration failure. In the absence of fire, these habitats are expected to follow a successional trajectory toward white pine, possibly with a red maple and mixed oak component. Indeed, in both forest types in sandy soils, these successional pathways appear to be occurring as white pine was the most abundant species in the very dry to dry, nutrient poor habitat and had the greatest seedling density. If park managers at SLBE wish to preserve historic forest types, burning may be necessary. Mesic forests were dominated by American beech, particularly at the smaller (sapling) size classes. Beech was considerably more abundant than sugar maple, due largely to the avoidance of beech as a browse species by white-tailed deer. White-tailed deer density is high. Beside the abundance of beech saplings, this may also be contributing to the depauperate understory at many plots. Although we encountered little evidence of beech bark disease at SLBE, and only in the form of the presence of beech scale, beech bark disease will become a pressing issue in the next 10-15 years. Efforts to reduce the dominance of beech and promote maple growth and reproduction will lesson the potentially devastating impacts of this disease. All management activities implemented by the park, in response to fire, disease, or otherwise, will be based upon NPS management policies, park enabling legislation, and relevant approved park planning documents (General Management Plan, Fire Management Plan).

Implementation of a long-term vegetation monitoring program at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore

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