Problematic plant monitoring protocol for the Heartland Inventory and Monitoring Network: Narrative, version 2.0

Kull KA, Young CC, Haack-Gaynor JL, Morrison LW, DeBacker MD. 2022. Problematic plant monitoring protocol for the Heartland Inventory and Monitoring Network: Narrative, version 2.0. Natural Resource Report. NPS/HTLN/NRR—2022/2376. National Park Service. Fort Collins, Colorado. https://doi.org/10.36967/nrr-2293355

Problematic species, which include invasive, exotic, and harmful species, fragment native ecosystems, displace native plants and animals, and alter ecosystem function. In National Parks, such species negatively affect park resources and visitor enjoyment by altering landscapes and fire regimes, reducing native plant and animal habitat, and increasing trail maintenance needs. Recognizing these challenges, Heartland Inventory and Monitoring (I&M) Network parks identified problematic plants as the highest-ranking vital sign across the network. Given the need to provide early detection of potential problematic plants (ProPs) and the size of network parks, the Heartland I&M Network opted to allocate available sampling effort to maximize the area searched. With this approach and the available sampling effort in mind, we developed realistic objectives for the ProP monitoring protocol. The monitoring objectives are: 1. Create a watch list of ProPs known to occur in network parks and a watch list of potential ProPs that may invade network parks in the future, and occasionally update these two lists as new information is made available. 2. Provide early detection monitoring for all ProPs on the watch lists. 3. Search at least 0.75% and up to 40% of the reference frame for ProP occurrences in each park. 4. Estimate/calculate and report the abundance and frequency of ProPs in each park. 5. To the extent possible, identify temporal changes in the distribution and abundance of ProPs known to occur in network parks. ProP watch lists are developed using the best available and most relevant state, regional, and national exotic plant lists. The lists are generated using the PriorityDB database. We designed the park reference frames (i.e., the area to be monitored) to focus on accessible natural and restored areas. The field methods vary for small parks and large parks, defined as parks with reference frames less than and greater than 350 acres (142 ha), respectively. For small parks, surveyors make three equidistant passes through polygon search units that are approximately 2-acres (0.8 ha) in size. For large parks, surveyors record each ProP encountered along 200-m or 400-m line search units. The cover of each ProP taxa encountered in search units is estimated using the following cover scale: 0 = 0, 1 = 0.1-0.9 m2, 2 = 1-9.9 m2, 3 = 10-49.9 m2, 4 = 50-99.9 m2, 5 = 100-499.9 m2, 6 = 499.9-999.9 m2, and 7 = 1,000-4,999.9 m2. The field data are managed in the FieldDB database. Monitoring is scheduled to revisit most parks every four years. The network will report the results to park managers and superintendents after completing ProP monitoring.

Type

Published Report

Authors

Kull, Kathleen; Young, Craig; Haack-Gaynor, Jennifer; Morrison, Lloyd; DeBacker, Michael

Date of Issue

2022-04

Publisher

National Park Service

DOI

10.36967/nrr-2293355

Units

ARPO , BUFF , CUVA , EFMO , GWCA , HEHO , HOCU , HOME , HOSP , HTLN , LIBO , NRSS , OZAR , PERI , PIPE , TAPR , WICR

Keywords

exotic plant monitoring protocol, exotic plants, invasive plants, monitoring protocol, nonnative plant watch list, nonnative plants, problematic plant monitoring protocol, problematic plants, weeds

Subjects

Ecological Framework: Biological Integrity | Invasive Species | Invasive/Exotic plants

Full text (PDF)

Series

• Natural Resource Report

Other versions

• Invasive Exotic Plant Monitoring Protocol for the Heartland Network Inventory and Monitoring Program

See also

• SOP 1—Reference Frame Development and Sample Selection, Version 1.00 (2020): Problematic Plant Monitoring Protocol for the Heartland Inventory and Monitoring Network
• SOP 2—Field Work Preparation, Version 1.01 (2020): Problematic Plant Monitoring Protocol for the Heartland Inventory and Monitoring Network
• SOP 3—Observer Training, Version 1.01 (2020): Problematic Plant Monitoring Protocol for the Heartland Inventory and Monitoring Network
• SOP 4—Field Survey methods, Version 2.00 (2020): Problematic Plant Monitoring Protocol for the Heartland Inventory and Monitoring Network
• SOP 5—Collecting and Processing Unknown Specimens, Version 1.00 (2020): Problematic Plant Monitoring Protocol for the Heartland Inventory and Monitoring Network
• SOP 6—Problematic Plant Prioritization Database (Priority DB), Version 2.00 (2020): Problematic Plant Monitoring Protocol for the Heartland Inventory and Monitoring Network
• SOP 7—Field Database and Data Management, Version 2.00 (2020): Problematic Plant Monitoring Protocol for the Heartland Inventory and Monitoring Network
• SOP 8—Data Analysis and Reporting, Version 2.00 (2020): Problematic Plant Monitoring Protocol for the Heartland Inventory and Monitoring Network
• SOP 9—Revising the Protocol, Version 2.00 (2020): Problematic Plant Monitoring Protocol for the Heartland Inventory and Monitoring Network

Collections

• Web_Invasive_Protocol

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