Vegetation community monitoring: 2015 results from Whiskeytown National Recreation Area and Lassen Volcanic National Park.
Smith SB. 2016. Vegetation community monitoring: 2015 results from Whiskeytown National Recreation Area and Lassen Volcanic National Park.. Natural Resource Data Series. NPS/KLMN/NRDS—2016/1051. National Park Service. Fort Collins, Colorado
During the 2015 field season, the Klamath Inventory and Monitoring Network implemented the fifth season of its vegetation monitoring protocol (Odion et al. 2011) at Whiskeytown National Recreation Area (Whiskeytown) and Lassen Volcanic National Park (Lassen). The vegetation monitoring plots are 20 x 50m (0.1ha) and in partitioned into one of three sampling frames: matrix (upland), riparian (within 10m of a perennial stream), and high elevation (above a predetermined elevation, generally near tree line). Once every three years we measure vegetation composition, structure, and function at two of the six network parks (all parks are visited once every three years). The protocol was initiated in 2011 when we established sites at Lava Beds National Monument, and Redwood National and State Parks (Smith and Sarr 2013), those sites were revisited and remeasured in 2014 (Smith 2015). In 2012 we established sites at Whiskeytown National Recreation Area and Lassen Volcanic National Park (Smith and Sarr 2014b), and revisited those sites in 2015. In 2013 we established sites at Oregon Caves National Monument and Crater Lake National Park (Smith and Sarr 2014a), we will revisit those sites in 2016. This report summarizes the data collected in 2015 from Whiskeytown and Lassen. At Whiskeytown we revisited 21 matrix, 13 riparian, and 10 high elevation sites. Two riparian sites could not be revisited, due to safety concerns (in 2012 we established 15 riparian sites). At Lassen we revisited all sites established in 2012 and added five sites to both the matrix and riparian sample frames. The total number of sites at Lassen is now 23 matrix, 19 riparian, and 10 high elevation. For vegetation composition we report on species richness and non-native species presence. Structural data metrics include: live and dead trees/ha, live and dead tree basal area, tree height and height to crown, woody debris, substrate cover percentages, litter and duff depths, and vegetation cover by height strata. For vegetation function we report on tree species regeneration: most abundant tree by size class and trees/ha by size class.
- Type
- Published Report
- Authors
- Smith, Sean
- Date of Issue
- 2016-08
- Publisher
- National Park Service
- Units
- KLMN , LAVO , NRSS , WHIS
- Keywords
- Data Management, Klamath Network, KLMN, Species Composition, Species Richness, Vegetation Monitoring, Vegetation Structure
- Subjects
- Ecological Framework: Biological Integrity | Focal Species or Communities | Riparian Communities , Ecological Framework: Biological Integrity | Focal Species or Communities | Grassland/Herbaceous Communities , Ecological Framework: Biological Integrity | Focal Species or Communities | Shrubland Communities , Ecological Framework: Biological Integrity | Focal Species or Communities | Forest/Woodland Communities