Mediterranean Coast Inventory & Monitoring Network (MEDN): Vegetation Monitoring Data Package Scripts

Kompella M and Pandori L . 2026. Mediterranean Coast Inventory & Monitoring Network (MEDN): Vegetation Monitoring Data Package Scripts. National Park Service. https://doi.org/10.57830/2315494

The Mediterranean Coast Inventory and Monitoring Network (MEDN) monitors vegetation at three parks (Channel Islands National Park - CHIS, Cabrillo National Monument - CABR, and Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area -SAMO) as a “vital sign” of ecosystem health. The goal of the program is to provide timely information on the status and trends in key communities and taxa for resource managers at National Park units through publications of data packages and data release reports (DRRs). These products contain a summary of methods used in field data collection and rigorous data verification and validation processes that led up to the creation of the data package, as well as information about the quality and responsible use of the data. The vegetation monitoring data packages created by the scripts in this reference contain CSV files and EML metadata that contain information on: (1) the location and characteristics of transects surveyed as part of the monitoring program, (2) taxa encountered during survey efforts, and (3) results of surveys documenting vegetation height, soil cover, tree density, shrub density, and species richness along fixed transects at MEDN parks. Information collected as part of this program is crucial for tracking changes in plant communities and informing management decisions in a highly biodiverse ecoregion.

Type
Script
Authors
Kompella, Melina; Pandori, Lauren
Date of Issue
2026-05-19
Publisher
National Park Service
DOI
10.57830/2315494
Units
CABR , CHIS , MEDN , SAMO
Keywords
biomass, disturbances, ecology, fires, plant cover, plant ecology, shrubs, terrestrial ecosystems, transects, trees, vascular plants, vegetation dynamics
Subjects
Ecological Framework: Biological Integrity | Focal Species or Communities | Shrubland Communities , Ecological Framework: Biological Integrity | Focal Species or Communities | Vegetation Complex
License
Creative Commons Zero v1.0 Universal

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