Plant Inventory, Succession, and Reclamation Alternatives on Disturbed Lands in Grand Teton National Park
McArthur ED, Blauer AC, Monsen SB, Sanderson SC. 1995. Plant Inventory, Succession, and Reclamation Alternatives on Disturbed Lands in Grand Teton National Park. Pages 343-358. In Roundy BA, McArthur ED, Haley JS, Mann DK (ed): Proceedings: Wildland Shrub and Arid Land Restoration Symposium. Las Vegas, NV. October 19-21, 1993. U.S. Department of Agriculture: Forest Service--Intermountain Research Station. Ogden, UT. General Technical Report INT-GTR-315
Sixteen study areas ranging in size from 12 to 870 hectares were selected for inventory and analysis in sagebrush grass, meadow, and lodgepole pine plant communities. All study areas had some human-induced disturbance, ranging from grazing to intensive agriculture, prior to incorporation into the National Park System. Vegetation data including density and cover were collected. Disturbance values (D) were determined for each study area and compared among the study areas by a method that considered frequency, density, and life form, in eight different significance classes. Soils were characterized for each study area. All study areas had good vegetative cover, but badly disturbed sites were virtually covered with exotic, aggressive grass species (mainly smooth brome and Kentucky bluegrass). Management options are suggested that could restore the disturbed sites to more natural conditions. Some of these options would require chemical or mechanical eradication of existing vegetation, followed by seeding or transplanting native stock. Natural succession to the pre-agricultural vegetative state could take centuries or may not occur at all without human intervention.
- Type
- Conference Proceeding Paper
- Authors
- McArthur, E.; Blauer, A.; Monsen, Stephen; Sanderson, Stewart
- Date of Issue
- 1995
- Units
- GRTE , JODR
- Keywords
- community composition, disturbance, rehabilitation, restoration ecology, revegetation, soil, species distribution