Assessing Early Successional Plant Communities in the Managed Elk Fields of Cataloochee and Oconaluftee Valleys
Enrolled class of NRM-440. 2020. Assessing Early Successional Plant Communities in the Managed Elk Fields of Cataloochee and Oconaluftee Valleys. Western Carolina University. Culhowee, North Carolina
ABSTRACT: This research project assessed the natural resources of Oconaluftee and Cataloochee study sites in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park (GSMNP). Specifically, we assessed early successional fields for their flora, soil quality and elk (Cervus elaphus L.) grazing habitat use through their scat. Observations in recent years have noticed a trend of decreased height in grasses. These reports are only anecdotal, from NPS biologists, however, those reports are the reasons for this project. The main characteristic of the fields we will be looking at is the vegetation present there, as well as, the percent cover and height of the plants. Data from one of the fields, Oconaluftee, has been collected. We will be unavailable to collect data in Cataloochee because of the pandemic that hit the world, COVID-19. Furthermore, the data we have at Oconaluftee will be averaged for the whole field.
- Type
- Unpublished Report
- Authors
- Enrolled class of NRM-440
- Date of Issue
- 2020
- Publisher
- Western Carolina University
- Units
- GRSM
- Keywords
- APHN, Appalachian Highlands Network, Cataloochee Valley, Elk, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, GRSM, GRSM-02105, habitat management, Oconaluftee, SER, Southeast Region, vegetation