Integrated upland monitoring in Zion National Park: annual report 2011 (non-sensitive version)

Witwicki, Dana

The goal of the Northern Colorado Plateau Network (NCPN) integrated upland monitoring effort is to provide park managers with status and trend information on vegetation and soil attributes. This information is intended to provide early warning of resource degradation and determine natural variability of upland resources. This report summarizes NCPN upland monitoring in Zion National Park (NP) during 2011. It outlines goals and objectives of NCPN upland monitoring, methods of the upland monitoring protocol, and procedures for defining and mapping target populations for monitoring, and describes the results of this year’s efforts and plans for future monitoring. Upland monitoring was initiated at Zion NP in 2011. Based on discussions with park resource staff, one Gambel oak (Quercus gambelii) and three singleleaf pinyon (Pinus monophylla)/ Utah juniper (Juniperus osteosperma) (pinyon-juniper; PJ) ecological site types were selected for monitoring. The sampling frame was delineated using the soil map units where each ecological site type occurred in the park. Twenty-four PJ and 12 Gambel oak plots were established and monitored in 2011. In this report, measures were summarized for each ecological site type. The only analysis performed was an ordination of species cover. Results of this ordination indicated a high degree of overlap between the three PJ site types and separation between PJ and Gambel oak sites. Early monitoring data describe status of ecological site types, and interpretation is limited until additional data are acquired and more rigorously analyzed after at least five years of monitoring are complete.

Integrated upland monitoring in Zion National Park: annual report 2011 (non-sensitive version)

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