Plant community composition and structure monitoring for Theodore Roosevelt National Park: 2017 data report

Manuel, Ryan

This report presents the results of vegetation monitoring efforts in 2017 at Theodore Roosevelt National Park (THRO) by the Northern Great Plains Inventory and Monitoring Network (NGPN), along with Northern Great Plains Fire Ecology Program (NGPFEP). During the seventh full year of field work, crew members from NGPN visited 20 plant community monitoring plots to collect data on the vegetation at THRO. This is part of a long-term monitoring effort that aspires to sample 20 of 140 randomly located upland plots every year, so that each plot is visited for two consecutive years and then rested for eight years, on a ten-year rotating basis. NGPN staff captured data relating to species richness, herb-layer height, abundance of individual native and non-native species, ground cover, and site disturbance on each of the 20 plots. During the 2017 season, NGPFEP visited an additional four fire plant community monitoring plots and one plant community monitoring plot. NGPFEP collected data on herb-layer height, native and exotic species abundance, and ground cover in the Northwest section of THRO. All data collected by NGPN and NGPFEP in 2017 is included in this report. Our 2017 findings can be summarized as follows: The crews observed 185 vascular plant species, of those species, 24 were exotic. Grasses, sedges, and forbs made up the bulk of the plant cover. Native plant diversity was considerably higher, and exotic plant cover lower, in the upland areas than in the riparian areas. Eight species of tree and tall shrub species were observed, and woody fuel loads were moderate in the areas where they were found. Overall, the park’s vegetation seems to be in good condition, though exotic plants remain a significant challenge to park management.

Plant community composition and structure monitoring for Theodore Roosevelt National Park: 2017 data report

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