Northeast Temperate Network Forest Health Monitoring Report: 2010
Miller KM, Mitchell BR, Tierney GL, Wheeler JS. 2011. Northeast Temperate Network Forest Health Monitoring Report: 2010. Natural Resource Report. NPS/NETN/NRR—2011/399. National Park Service, Natural Resource Stewardship and Science. Fort Collins, Colorado
The 2010 field season marked the first year that the Northeast Temperate Network (NETN) Inventory and Monitoring Program resurveyed forest monitoring plots in Acadia National Park (ACAD), Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historical Park (MABI), Minute Man National Historical Park (MIMA), Saint-Gaudens National Historic Site (SAGA), and Saratoga National Historical Park (SARA). One-fourth of the plots in ACAD were resurveyed and one-half of the plots in the other four parks were resurveyed. This report contains an ecological integrity scorecard for data collected from 2007 to 2010 in these five parks. Additional sections cover all 10 NETN parks where forest health is monitored, and include a baseline assessment of biotic homogenization and understory patterns, and an analysis of landscape context. Forested systems in most NETN parks are relatively young, and are likely to fall short of desired levels of coarse woody debris (CWD) and snags for some time. As long as forests are left to mature and management activities don't reduce the potential for development of CWD and snags, we expect these metrics to improve with time. Results also suggest that forest conditions in most NETN parks could benefit from management actions such as reduction of white-tailed deer populations, and eradication and/or control of invasive species – especially exotic shrub species. Early detection of exotic forest pests and plants combined with rapid response control measures are important to maintaining forest condition. In addition, forest health in these parks may be negatively affected by soil chemistry problems stemming from atmospheric deposition.
- Type
- Published Report
- Authors
- Miller, Kate; Mitchell, Brian; Tierney, Geri; Wheeler, Jesse
- Date of Issue
- 2011-05
- Publisher
- National Park Service, Natural Resource Stewardship and Science
- Units
- ACAD , MABI , MIMA , NETN , NRSS , ROVA , SAGA , SARA , WEFA
- Keywords
- 2010, ACAD, Forest Health, MABI, MIMA, MORR, NETN, Northeast Temperate Network, Northeast Temperate Network Forest Health Monitoring Report, ROVA, SARA, WEFA SAGA, x#annualReports, x#forestHealth, x#NETN