Inventory and Monitoring Programs Along the Appalachian Trail
Schwarzkopf K and Buchanan H. 1999. Inventory and Monitoring Programs Along the Appalachian Trail. Appalachian Trail
The Appalachian Trail (AT) provides an example of an inventory and monitoring program along a lengthy, linear land corridor through multiple jurisdictions utilizing minnnal stalf.ln 1988 the AT became the first national trail to establish an inventory and monitoring program, and it may still be the only., trail to have such a program. 'The primary purpose of conducting AT natural heritage inventories in the 14 states through which the trail passes is to identify and record occurrences of rare, threatened, and endangered plant and animal species and exemplary natural communities found along the trail corridor. After completing each inventory, a monitoring program can be established. The AT inventory and monitoring program is also designed to guide future land management decisions and to educate the trail community about the ecological significance of trail lands (Figure 1).