Plant community composition and structure monitoring for Jewel Cave National Monument: 2012 annual report
Ashton IW, Prowatzke M, Wilson SK. 2013. Plant community composition and structure monitoring for Jewel Cave National Monument: 2012 annual report. Natural Resource Technical Report. NPS/NGPN/NRTR—2013/676. National Park Service. Fort Collins, Colorado
The Northern Great Plains Inventory & Monitoring Network surveyed 6 long-term monitoring plots in Jewel Cave National Monument (JECA) in 2012 as part of an effort to better understand the condition of plant communities in the park. We measured plant diversity and cover, tree density, and forest fuels, 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 JECA. 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. Jewel Cave National Monument has a high diversity of native plants. Dry conditions in 2012 tended to reduce plant diversity, but species richness was still within the range of natural variability. Forest densities are similar to historic conditions and characterized by a mosaic of open and closed canopy sites. To date, Jewel Cave National Monument has had effective exotic plant management. Average cover of exotic species was low, and only one site was above 10% cover. Kentucky bluegrass was the most widespread and abundant exotic species. The Jasper Fire in 2000 left a large amount of coarse woody debris throughout the park resulting in high total fuel loads. Because the forest structure is open and lacking ladder and fine fuels the high total fuel loads are only of moderate concern. To retain ecological integrity in JECA and the high diversity of native plants, it is important to continue efforts to reduce the cover of invasive plants. Continued monitoring efforts will be critical to track changes in the condition of the vegetation communities in JECA.
- Type
- Published Report
- Authors
- Ashton, Isabel; Prowatzke, Michael; Wilson, Stephen
- Date of Issue
- 2013-01
- Publisher
- National Park Service
- Units
- JECA , NGPN , NRSS
- Keywords
- Grasslands, mixed-grass prairie, Monitoring, monitoring report, plant community monitor, Plant community monitoring, Plant diversity, Ponderosa Pine, Vegetation
- Subjects
- Ecological Framework: Biological Integrity | Focal Species or Communities | Grassland/Herbaceous Communities