Plant community composition and structure monitoring for Fort Union Trading Post National Historic Site: 2012 annual report
Ashton IW, Prowatzke M, Wilson SK. 2013. Plant community composition and structure monitoring for Fort Union Trading Post National Historic Site: 2012 annual report. Natural Resource Technical Report. NPS/NGPN/NRTR—2013/675. National Park Service. Fort Collins, Colorado
Fort Union Trading Post National Historic Site (FOUS) protects 444 acres of northern mixedgrass prairie and riparian forests. The Northern Great Plains Inventory & Monitoring Network surveyed 6 long-term monitoring plots in FOUS in 2012 as part of an effort to better understand the condition of plant communities in the park. We measured plant diversity and cover, looked for the presence of exotic species that are of concern to park management, and evaluated the amount of human and natural disturbance at all plots. This effort was the second year in a multiple-year venture to document the current status and long-term trends in plant communities in FOUS. At the end of five years, there will be an in-depth report describing the status of the plant community. In this report, we provide a simple summary of our results from sampling in 2012. FOUS protects a remnant of native northern mixed-grass prairie in the Bodmer Overlook Unit and more disturbed areas in the upland fields surrounding the fort. A few sites in the park have a high cover of exotic species and to retain ecological integrity it is important to continue efforts to reduce the cover of invasive plants. Allowing for natural disturbances such as fire may be critical to maintaining plant diversity in FOUS, but it should be balanced with the need to protect intact native communities and prevent further invasions of exotic species. Continued monitoring efforts will be critical to track changes in the condition of the vegetation communities in FOUS.
- Type
- Published Report
- Authors
- Ashton, Isabel; Prowatzke, Michael; Wilson, Stephen
- Date of Issue
- 2013-01
- Publisher
- National Park Service
- Units
- FOUS , NGPN , NRSS
- Keywords
- Grasslands, mixed-grass prairie, Monitoring, monitoring report, plant community monitor, Plant community monitoring, Plant diversity, Vegetation