Down Woody Debris and Standing Dead Trees of Homestead National Monument Riparian Forest
North EA and Schiltmeyer AV. Down Woody Debris and Standing Dead Trees of Homestead National Monument Riparian Forest
The 2002 inventory of the forest and vascular plants at Homestead National Monument found that the species composition of the forest in the northern portion of the park is consistent with the description of a mesic bur oak forest (Mlekush & DeBacker, 2002). According to Steinauer & Rolfsmeier (2000), mesic bur oak forests are critically imperiled communities in Nebraska. In this report, park managers were encouraged to resist suggestions to restore this area to savanna type woodlands. More specifically, burning and mechanical thinning were not recommended. The primary objective was to create a survey and estimate the current coarse down woody material and snags to provide data for management decisions regarding wildlife habitat and ecological function at Homestead National Monument of America. The survey of coarse woody material and snags will also serve as baseline data for future forest monitoring.
- Type
- Project
- Authors
- North, Eric; Schiltmeyer, Allie
- Units
- HOME
- Keywords
- forest health, woody debris