Vegetation monitoring – Southwest Alaska Network: 2013 Annual report – Baseline sampling in coastal forests of Kenai Fjords
Miller AE and Walton JK. 2014. Vegetation monitoring – Southwest Alaska Network: 2013 Annual report – Baseline sampling in coastal forests of Kenai Fjords. Natural Resource Data Series. NPS/SWAN/NRDS—2014/675. Fort Collins, Colorado
This report summarizes the results of vegetation sampling in Kenai Fjords National Park (KEFJ) in 2013. Nine coastal forest monitoring plots (0.25 ha) were established in Sitka spruce-mountain hemlock stands along the outer fjords in KEFJ. Plot measurements included stem diameters and height for estimates of basal area and above ground biomass, tree and seedling density, canopy cover, and coarse woody debris (CWD) loads. Epiphytic lichen inventories were completed in 2012 using the U.S. Forest Service’s (USFS) Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) off-frame sampling protocol. Summary data from three USFS-FIA plots in KEFJ are included in this report for comparison with the NPS Inventory and Monitoring (I&M) forest monitoring data. Tree data from the I&M monitoring plots show that coastal forests in KEFJ are characterized by 200-500 year old trees, a range of age- and size classes that contribute to structural complexity, a low density of standing snags, and CWD loads that comprise less than 1% of above ground biomass. Seedling establishment appears to be highly dependent on nurse logs provided by decaying CWD. Epiphytic lichen inventory plots yielded 32 taxa, most of which are characteristic of old-growth coastal forest, and many of which are sensitive indicators of air quality. Lichen species of interest included Hypogymnia duplicata, a species of management concern in the Pacific Northwest and Gulf of Alaska (FEMAT 1993).
- Type
- Published Report
- Authors
- Miller, Amy; Walton, James
- Date of Issue
- 2014-06
- Units
- KEFJ , NRSS , SWAN
- Keywords
- epiphytic lichen, Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA), Mature forest
- Subjects
- Ecological Framework: Biological Integrity | Focal Species or Communities | Forest/Woodland Communities