Establishing a Long-term Vegetation Monitoring Program in National Parks of the Pacific Northwest
Rochefort RM and Acker SA. 2013. Establishing a Long-term Vegetation Monitoring Program in National Parks of the Pacific Northwest. Pages 92-102. In Camp AE, Irland LC, Carroll CJ (ed). Long-term Silvicultural and Ecological Studies: Results for Science and Management: Volume 2. Yale University School of Forestry and Environmental Studies. New Haven, CT. Global Institute of Sustainable Forestry Research Reports. GISF Research Paper 013
The National Park Service (NPS) Inventory and Monitoring Program (I&M) was established to provide scientifically sound information on natural resources by documenting the status and long-term trends in composition, structure, and function of park ecosystems. The program is organized into 32 monitoring networks (~270 park units). Networks identify key indicators or “vital signs” to track the overall condition of park natural resources and to provide early warning of situations that require intervention. The North Coast and Cascades Network (NCCN) includes 7 parks in Washington and Oregon: San Juan Island National Historical Park (SAJH), North Cascades National Park Service Complex (NOCA), Olympic National Park (OLYM), Ebey’s Landing National Historical Reserve (EBLA), Mount Rainier National Park (MORA), Fort Vancouver National Historical Site (FOVA), and Lewis and Clark National Historical Park (LEWI). Vegetation was identified as one of 10 NCCN vital signs. Vegetation monitoring focuses on documenting vegetation change along elevation and climate gradients in NCCN parks: lowland prairies, forests, and subalpine/alpine vegetation. Within each broad vegetation category, monitoring objectives were identified after considering stressors to vegetation, management objectives, and ecological integrity indicators and developed into 3 monitoring protocols: Prairies, Forests, and Alpine/ Subalpine. As of January 2011, all three protocols have been peer reviewed. The Forest Monitoring Protocol had final approval September 2010 and the Prairie and Alpine/Subalpine Protocols have been provisionally approved. At this time, we have established 35 1-ha plots in 3 parks (MORA, NOCA, OLYM), at elevations from sea-level to 1800 m. We will also establish plots at SAJH (2012) and LEWI (2011). Prairie and Alpine/Subalpine monitoring will begin in 2012 although pilot monitoring has already been conducted in each park. For example, whitebark pine monitoring (Alpine/Subalpine) plots were established in MORA and NOCA in 2004 and resurveyed in 2009. Evaluation of these plots in 2009 revealed disappointing trends in mortality and infection rates by white pine blister rust. In both NOCA and MORA, the proportion of infected trees rose, mortality increased, and uninfected trees decreased. Infection rates in saplings increased in both parks, although live sapling density remained stable. Incidence of mountain pine beetle was low in each park. Plots will be established in OLYM in 2012. National parks provide field laboratories where monitoring and research can increase understanding of unmanaged ecosystems' response to climate change. Potential changes in vegetation include species range shifts within and outside parks, suitable habitat loss, and competitive exclusion by exotic species. In NCCN parks, resources are already responding to changing conditions. Tree establishment in NCCN subalpine parkland is generally controlled by snowpack duration; establishment rates in MORA have accelerated during warm, dry summers on the park’s west side and cool, wet summers on the park’s drier east side. National parks and protected areas must respond to climate change proactively, incorporating current science and local ecosystem measurements based on specific resources, environment, and management objectives. In collaboration with adjacent national forests, NCCN parks are initiating partnerships to develop adaptation strategies relying heavily on the research and monitoring being conducted in these areas.
- Type
- Published Report Section
- Authors
- Rochefort, Regina; Acker, Steven
- Units
- MORA , NCCN , NOCA , OLYM
- Keywords
- Adaptation, Alpine, Climate Change, Ebey’s Landing National Historical Reserve, Forest, Lewis and Clark National Historical Park, Management, Monitoring, Mount Rainier National Park, Natural Resource, NCCN External Publication, North Cascades National Park Service Complex, North Coast and Cascades Network, Objective, Olympic National Park, Prairie, San Juan Island National Historical Park, Subalpine, unmanaged ecosystem, Vegetation, vital sign, Whitebark Pine
- Subjects
- Ecological Framework: Biological Integrity | Invasive Species | Invasive/Exotic plants , Ecological Framework: Biological Integrity | Infestations and Disease | Insect Pests , Ecological Framework: Biological Integrity | Focal Species or Communities | Sparsely Vegetated Communities , Ecological Framework: Biological Integrity | Focal Species or Communities | Grassland/Herbaceous Communities , Ecological Framework: Biological Integrity | Focal Species or Communities | Forest/Woodland Communities , Ecological Framework: Biological Integrity | Focal Species or Communities | Vegetation Complex , Ecological Framework: Biological Integrity | At-risk Biota | T&E Species and Communities