NCCN Monitoring Alpine and Subalpine Vegetation
Fallon B, Boetsch J, Copass C. NCCN Monitoring Alpine and Subalpine Vegetation. 2004. National Park Service
Provide accurate information regarding the status and trends of vegetation in the alpine treeline ecotone in order to inform management decisions affecting these areas. Purpose: The data represent results from field monitoring of permanent vegetation plots. Vegetation plots are located within two broad types of sites: whitebark pine populations, and subalpine and alpine vegetation where tree canopy cover is less than 25%. At each permanent plot, diameter at breast height (dbh) of tree species is measured, and vegetative cover of all non-tree species is estimated and recorded by species. Environmental factors (slope, aspect, topography) are recorded, as are incidental observations of Clark’s nutcracker, Red squirrel, and Douglas squirrel. Most monitoring plot locations were selected and established based on a Generalized Random Tesselation Stratification (GRTS-based) sample design. Legacy alpine plots selected subjectively and established in 1983/84 have been retained to maintain continuity. Legacy whitebark pine plots, established in 2004 using a random point distribution, have also been retained. Objectives: 1. Determine the status and trends in vegetation composition and structure of alpine vegetation in MORA, NOCA, and OLYM 2. Determine the status and trends in vegetation composition and structure of subalpine vegetation in MORA, NOCA, and OLYM 3. Determine the status and trends in vegetation composition and structure of legacy (historic, non-random) vegetation plots in MORA 4. Determine the status and trends in soil temperature and snow cover period in subalpine and alpine communities in MORA, NOCA, and OLYM and at legacy plots in MORA. 5. Determine status and trends in the structure and condition of whitebark pine stands in MORA, NOCA, and OLYM 6. Optional: Determine status and trends in vegetation composition and structure of sentinel alpine peaks in MORA, NOCA, and OLYM as a participant in the Global Observation Research Initiative in Alpine Environments. REGARDING what species/communities were examined: Vegetation in subalpine and alpine areas, which comprises the alpine treeline ecotone. REGARDING items excluded from data collection: Heights of trees in subalpine/alpine plots (only dbh is recorded). GRTS-based sampling points were excluded from consideration due to site steepness (greater than or equal to 35 degrees slope), unsafe access routes, proximity to trails and roads ( 1500 m), and other factors including site disturbance, presence of a non-target vegetative type, or presence of unsafe local conditions such as scree or permanent snowfields. Site evaluations were conducted using a combination of GIS elevation data, remotely-sensed imagery, and on-site reconnaissance. REGARDING advice/caveats for potential users of the data set: Legacy MORA alpine plots may have some misidentification of sedge species.
- Type
- Project
- Authors
- Fallon, Beth; Boetsch, John; Copass, Catharine
- Publisher
- National Park Service
- Units
- MORA , NOCA , OLYM
- Keywords
- Abies, Alpine, Alpine Ecology, Biology, Biota, Callitropsis, Douglas Fir, Engelmann Spruce, I&M, Inventory And Monitoring, Landscape, Lodgepole Pine, Monitoring, MORA, Mount Rainier National Park, mountain heather, mountain hemlock, NCCN, NOCA, North Cascades National Park, North Coast and Cascades Network, OLYM, Olympic National Park, Pacific silver fir, Phyllodoce, Physiognomic vegetation classes, Pinus, Ponderosa Pine, Pseudotsuga, Resource Management, Subalpine, subalpine fir, subalpine larch, Tsuga, Vascular Plants, Vegetation, vegetation community, Washington State, western white pine, Whitebark Pine, yellow cedar
- Subjects
- Ecological Framework: Biological Integrity | Focal Species or Communities | Vegetation Complex
Program
Products
- Project dataset for assessing trends and vulnerabilities in the mutualism between whitebark pine (Pinus albicaulis) and Clark’s nutcracker (Nucifraga columbiana) in the Cascades region
- Alpine and subalpine vegetation monitoring protocol for the North Coast and Cascades Network
- NCCN Alpine and Subalpine Vegetation Monitoring Sample Design Geodatabase
- Alpine and subalpine vegetation monitoring in the North Coast and Cascades Network: 2010 - 2013 data summaries
- Whitebark Pine in the Northern Cascades: Tracking the Effects of Blister Rust on Population Health in North Cascades National Park Service Complex and Mount Rainier National Park
- Assessing trends and vulnerabilities in the mutualism between whitebark pine (Pinus albicaulis) and Clark’s nutcracker (Nucifraga columbiana) in national parks of the Sierra-Cascade region
- Whitebark pine in the national parks of the Pacific states: An assessment of population vulnerability