National Capital Region Network Long-Term Forest Vegetation Monitoring Protocol: Version 2.1 (March, 2014)
Schmit JP, Sanders GM, Lehman M, Paradis T, Matthews E. 2014. National Capital Region Network Long-Term Forest Vegetation Monitoring Protocol: Version 2.1 (March, 2014). Natural Resource Report. NPS/NCRN/NRR—2009/113. National Park Service. Fort Collins, Colorado
The vital sign selection process of the NPS Inventory and Monitoring Program (I&M) identified forest vegetation monitoring as a critical need for the parks of the National Capital Region Network (NCRN). The data collected using this protocol will provide much needed baseline information on the forests in the NCRN, particularly in terms of community structure and composition. The information will also be used to determine long term trends in community composition, and in the abundance and distribution of individual species. Additionally, there are several short- and long-term threats to the forests found in the NCRN parks. There is evidence that the parks are overpopulated with deer (also the focus of a vital sign), which poses the risk of unsustainable browsing pressure on forest ecosystems. In particular, over-browsing can lead to the loss of understory species and reduce or eliminate regeneration of some tree species. Invasive exotic plant species are found throughout the network parks and may out-compete native vegetation. Several tree species are highly susceptible to insect pests and pathogens. Long-term threats include changes in land use inside and outside the parks, long-term climate change, pathogens and air pollution. This protocol includes monitoring of three related vital signs: forest vegetation condition, invasive species and forest pests and pathogens. The protocol is based on the plot design of the US Forest Service Forest Inventory and Analysis program and the results of a 2004 pilot study. Thirteen standard operating procedures (SOPs) document the methods used to collect the relevant data. The protocol was developed in consultation with other I&M networks in the eastern US so that the data collected will be compatible with that of other networks to provide a wider context for trends in the NCRN parks.
- Type
- Published Report
- Authors
- Schmit, John; Sanders, Geoffrey; Lehman, Mark; Paradis, Thomas; Matthews, Elizabeth
- Date of Issue
- 2014-03
- Publisher
- National Park Service
- Units
- ANTI , CATO , CHOH , GWMP , HAFE , IMDP , MANA , MONO , NACE , NCRN , NCRO , NRSS , PRWI , ROCR , WOTR
- Keywords
- Deer, Erosion, exotic plant species, Exotic Plants, Forest, Forest Health, Forest Monitor, Invasive Pests, Monitoring, NCRN Protocol, Saplings, Seedlings, Shrubs, Trees, urban development, Vegetation
- Subjects
- Ecological Framework: Biological Integrity | Focal Species or Communities | Forest/Woodland Communities