Vegetation community monitoring: 2016 results from Crater Lake National Park and Oregon Caves National Monument
Smith SB. 2018. Vegetation community monitoring: 2016 results from Crater Lake National Park and Oregon Caves National Monument. Natural Resource Data Series. NPS/KLMN/NRDS—2018/1178. National Park Service. Fort Collins, Colorado
During the 2016 field season, the Klamath Inventory and Monitoring Network implemented the sixth season of its vegetation monitoring protocol (Odion et al. 2011) at Crater Lake National Park (Crater Lake) and Oregon Caves National Monument (Oregon Caves). The vegetation monitoring plots are 20 x 50 m (0.1 ha) and are partitioned into one of three sampling frames: matrix (upland), riparian (within 10 m 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 revisited those sites in 2016. This report summarizes the data collected in 2016 from Crater Lake and Oregon Caves. At Crater Lake we revisited 24 matrix, 20 riparian, and 20 high elevation sites. Two matrix sites were not revisited due to safety concerns. At Oregon Caves we revisited all 10 sites established in 2013. 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
- 2018-08
- Publisher
- National Park Service
- Units
- CRLA , KLMN , NRSS , ORCA
- 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 | Shrubland Communities , Ecological Framework: Biological Integrity | Focal Species or Communities | Forest/Woodland Communities