Forest dynamics in national parks in the Eastern Rivers and Mountains Network.
Perles S, Manning D, Callahan K, Marshall M. 2016. Forest dynamics in national parks in the Eastern Rivers and Mountains Network.. Natural Resource Report. NPS/ERMN/NRR—2016/1182. National Park Service. Fort Collins, Colorado
Understanding both the current condition of forest resources and how forests are changing over time is critical to sound management of parks’ terrestrial ecosystems. In 2014, the Eastern Rivers and Mountains Network (ERMN) of the National Park Service (NPS) Inventory and Monitoring Program concluded its eighth season of monitoring forests in eight national parks, sampling nearly 350 plots twice over the eight years. Based on analysis of monitoring data from these plots, this report offers the latest answers to the following question and provides park-specific management recommendations developed from these findings. “How are park forests changing over time in relation to weather, climate, landscape dynamics, invasive species, deer browse, and natural processes such as gap formation and succession?” We compare tree mortality, recruitment and growth across the eight ERMN parks and discuss the implications for forest health. Species-specific trends in dominance, growth and mortality are presented for each park.
- Type
- Published Report
- Authors
- Perles, Stephanie; Manning, Douglas; Callahan, Kristina; Marshall, Matthew
- Date of Issue
- 2016-03
- Publisher
- National Park Service
- Units
- ALPO , BLUE , DEWA , ERMN , FONE , FRHI , GARI , JOFL , NERI , NRSS