Monitoring Vegetation in Gulf Coast Network Parks: Protocol Implementation Plan

Carlson, Jane; Bracewell, Jeff; Granger, Whitney; Segura, Martha

The Gulf Coast Network conducts long-term terrestrial vegetation monitoring in eight National Park units as part of the nationwide Inventory and Monitoring Program of the National Park Service. Park plant communities are monitored as key vital signs or ecological indicators because they create the food and habitat upon which many other species depend, and because changes in their condition often reflect the effects of stressors such as fire, extreme weather, disease, invasive species, and land-use change. Monitoring plant communities over time can provide critical insights into ecosystem health by revealing the key players in a relatively undisturbed system and documenting the consequences of anthropogenic change. Terrestrial vegetation monitoring in network parks takes place in 214 permanently-marked plots that are randomly located within naturally vegetated areas the following eight national park units: Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve (JELA); Palo Alto Battlefield National Historical Park (PAAL); Natchez Trace Parkway (NATR); Gulf Islands National Seashore (GUIS); Padre Islands National Seashore (PAIS); Vicksburg National Military Park (VICK); San Antonio Missions National Historical Park (SAAN); and Big Thicket National Preserve (BITH). Each park has between 10 and 56 plots, scaled for the size of the park or focal park unit. Monitored habitats include semi-arid scrublands, coastal vegetated dunes, prairies, pine savannas, upland forests, marshes, and swamps. Plots are 20 × 20 meters in size, and within these plots data are collected on species richness, per-species coverage, per-species frequency and several forest-related metrics. All adult trees are identified to species and marked with a unique ID number, and their diameter at breast height (DBH) and condition are tracked over time. Site condition and other environmental covariates are also recorded. The Gulf Coast Network’s approach, rationale and required resources for terrestrial vegetation monitoring are described in this document, the Protocol Implementation Plan Narrative. The 11 associated Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) provide detailed instructions on how to collect, manage, analyze and disseminate the project’s findings. The network’s narrative and SOPs are derived, in large part, from the Northeast Temperate Network’s forest monitoring protocol. The difference in approach between the two networks is documented throughout the Gulf Coast Network’s narrative and SOP documents.

Monitoring Vegetation in Gulf Coast Network Parks: Protocol Implementation Plan

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