Vegetation community monitoring at Moores Creek National Battlefield: 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 Moores Creek National Battlefield in 2014. • Data were collected at 30 sampling locations at the battlefield from 29 June 2014 through 2 July 2014. • Monitoring efforts resulted in the addition of nine species, subspecies, or varieties to the battlefield species list. • Absolute canopy cover across the battlefield was approximately 67.0%. • Sweetgum (Liquidambar styraciflua) had the highest relative cover in the shrub stratum. • Sweetgum also had the highest absolute cover in the shrub stratum. • Sweetgum was the most frequently occurring species in the shrub stratum. • Roundleaf greenbriar (Smilax rotundifolia) had the highest relative cover, while yellow jessamine (Gelsemium sempervirens) had the second highest relative cover cover in the groundcover stratum. • Roundleaf greenbriar had the highest absolute cover, while yellow jessamine had the second highest absolute cover in the groundcover stratum. • Leaf litter was the most frequently occurring ground condition at the battlefield and also had the highest relative and absolute cover of any ground condition. • Yellow jessamine and roundleaf greenbriar were the most frequently occurring species in the groundcover stratum, respectively. • Loblolly pine (Pinus taeda) was the most frequently occurring live tree species. • Loblolly pine had the largest average diameter at breast height (DBH) of any canopy species at the battlefield where more than two individuals were measured. • Loblolly pine was the most frequently occurring dead snag species. • Loblolly pine was the largest dead snag species detected where more than one individual was measured. • Hemleaf (Lyonia lucida) had the highest estimated seedling density at the battlefield.

Vegetation community monitoring at Moores Creek National Battlefield: 2014 data summary

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