Vegetation community monitoring at Congaree National Park: 2014 data summary

Heath, Sarah; Byrne, Michael

In 2009, the Southeast Coast Network (SECN) of the National Park Service (NPS) Inventory and Monitoring Program began collecting vegetation community data as part of the NPS Vital Signs Monitoring Program. Information collected under this vital sign will be used to help managers make better-informed decisions by understanding trends and variability related to plant species, frequency of occurrence, percent cover, diversity, and distribution in the groundcover, shrub, and canopy strata. Within each stratum, vegetation communities were sampled using hybrid methods following the North Carolina Vegetation Survey nested-subplot design (Peet et al. 1998) within a circular plot similar to the Forest Inventory and Analysis protocol (Bechtold and Patterson 2005). This report summarizes vegetation community data collected at Congaree National Park in 2014. • Data were collected at 22 sampling locations at the park from 11 June 2014 through 24 June 2014. • Monitoring efforts resulted in the addition of two species, subspecies, or varieties to the park’s species list. • Absolute canopy cover across the park was approximately 87.43%. • Pawpaw (Asimina triloba) had the highest relative cover in the shrub stratum. • Possumhaw (Ilex decidua) had the second highest relative cover in the shrub stratum. • Green ash (Fraxinus pennsylvanica) had the highest relative cover, while caric sedges (Carex spp.) had the second highest relative cover in the groundcover stratum. • Green ash and caric sedges also had the highest and the second highest absolute cover in the groundcover stratum. • Sweetgum (Liquidambar styraciflua) was the most frequently occurring species in the shrub stratum. • Leaf litter was the most frequently occurring ground condition at the park, and also had the highest relative and absolute cover of any ground condition. • Caric sedges, cross vine (Bignonia capreolata), green ash, and poison ivy (Toxicodendron radicans) were the most frequently occurring species in the groundcover stratum, respectively (Tables 6, 7). • Baldcypress (Taxodium distichum) had the largest average diameter at breast height (DBH) of any canopy species at the park where more than two individuals were measured. • Sweetgum (Liquidambar styraciflua) was the most frequently occurring tree species. • Oaks (Quercus spp.) were the most frequently occurring dead snag species. • Green ash had the highest estimated seedling density at the park.

Vegetation community monitoring at Congaree National Park: 2014 data summary

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