GLKN Vegetation Protocol 1.0.Pdf
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National Park Service U.S. Department of the Interior Natural Resource Program Center Vegetation Monitoring Protocol Great Lakes Inventory & Monitoring Network Natural Resource Report NPS/GLKN/NRR—2008/056 ON THE COVER Black oak savanna at Miller Woods, Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore Photograph by: Sam Smyrk Vegetation Monitoring Protocol Great Lakes Inventory & Monitoring Network Natural Resource Report NPS/GLKN/NRR—2008/056 Suzanne Sanders, Sarah E. Johnson, and Donald M. Waller National Park Service Great Lakes Network Office 2800 Lake Shore Dr. East Ashland, Wisconsin 54806 September 2008 U.S. Department of the Interior National Park Service Natural Resource Program Center Fort Collins, Colorado The Natural Resource Publication series addresses natural resource topics that are of interest and applicability to a broad readership in the National Park Service and to others in the management of natural resources, including the scientific community, the public, and the NPS conservation and environmental constituencies. Manuscripts are peer-reviewed to ensure that the information is scientifically credible, technically accurate, appropriately written for the intended audience, and is designed and published in a professional manner. Natural Resource Reports are the designated medium for disseminating high priority, current natural resource management information with managerial application. The series targets a general, diverse audience, and may contain NPS policy considerations or address sensitive issues of management applicability. Examples of the diverse array of reports published in this series include vital signs monitoring plans; monitoring protocols; "how to" resource management papers; proceedings of resource management workshops or conferences; annual reports of resource programs or divisions of the Natural Resource Program Center; resource action plans; fact sheets; and regularly-published newsletters. Views, statements, findings, conclusions, recommendations and data in this report are solely those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect views and policies of the U.S. Department of the Interior, NPS. Mention of trade names or commercial products does not constitute endorsement or recommendation for use by the National Park Service. Printed copies of reports in these series may be produced in a limited quantity and they are only available as long as the supply lasts. This report is also available from the Natural Resource Publications Management website (http://www.nature.nps.gov/publications/NRPM) on the Internet or by sending a request to the address on the back cover. Please cite this publication as: Sanders, S., S. E. Johnson, and D. M. Waller. 2008. Vegetation monitoring protocol: Great Lakes Inventory & Monitoring Network. Natural Resource Report NPS/GLKN/NRR—2008/056. National Park Service, Fort Collins, Colorado. NPS D-080, September 2008 ii Acknowledgements This protocol could not have been completed without the input of numerous individuals both within and outside of the Park Service. We are grateful to Chip Scott and Andrew Lister of the U.S. Forest Service’s Northern Monitoring Program. They have assisted with multiple aspects of plot selection. We are also grateful to Tony Olsen of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for assistance with algorithms for site selection. We wish to thank Mark Hart for his contributions on data handling in Section IV and to Sarah Pratt and Rebecca Key for their assistance with database development and PDA and GPS preparation. We thank several individuals associated with the University of Wisconsin-Madison, including Erika Mudrak, Dave Rogers, Rachel Collins, and Dan Olson, for contributing in various ways to this protocol. Finally, we would like to thank all who have spent time reviewing the various sections of this protocol. These people include Erik Beever, Mark Fulton, Joe O’Brien, Scott Weyenberg, Wendy Cass, Lee Frelich, and Christopher Woodall. The comments raised by these reviewers have, undoubtedly, raised the quality of the protocol. iii Contents Page Acknowledgements........................................................................................................................iii Figures........................................................................................................................................... vii Tables ..........................................................................................................................................viii Background and Objectives ............................................................................................................ 1 Rationale for Monitoring Vegetation Communities ........................................................... 1 Network Parks and Ecosystems.......................................................................................... 1 Current Threats to Vegetation in NPS Units....................................................................... 3 Overview of Vegetation Monitoring at the Great Lakes Network Parks............................ 4 Measurable Objectives........................................................................................................ 6 Overall Sampling Design................................................................................................................ 9 Rationale for Selecting this Sampling Design over Others ................................................ 9 Sampling Frame, Plot Design, and Metrics ........................................................................ 9 Sampling Frequency, Replication, and Timing ................................................................ 16 Recommended Number of Sampling Sites and Frequency .............................................. 17 Sample Method Selection and Level of Change That Can be Detected........................... 18 Field Methods ............................................................................................................................... 21 Field Season Preparations and Equipment Setup.............................................................. 21 Sequence of Events During Field Season ......................................................................... 21 Details of Taking Measurements ...................................................................................... 22 Post-Collection Processing of Samples ............................................................................ 22 End-of-Season Procedures................................................................................................ 22 Data Handling, Analysis, and Reporting ...................................................................................... 25 Metadata Procedures......................................................................................................... 25 Overview of Database Design .......................................................................................... 25 Data Entry, Verification and Editing ................................................................................ 26 Recommendations for Routine Data Summaries and Analyses to Detect Change........... 27 Recommended reporting schedule and format ................................................................. 27 Recommended Methods for Long-Term Trend Analysis................................................. 28 Data Archival Procedures ................................................................................................. 28 Personnel Requirements and Training.......................................................................................... 29 Roles and Responsibilities ................................................................................................ 29 Crew Qualifications.......................................................................................................... 30 Training............................................................................................................................. 31 v Operational Requirements ............................................................................................................ 33 Annual Workload and Field Schedule .............................................................................. 33 Facility and Equipment Needs.......................................................................................... 33 Startup Costs and Budget Considerations......................................................................... 34 Procedures for Revising the Protocol ............................................................................... 34 Literature Cited ............................................................................................................................. 37 vi Figures Page Figure 1. Nine National Park units of the Great Lakes Inventory & Monitoring Network............ 1 Figure 2a. FIA Phase 2/3 plot layout ............................................................................................ 12 Figure 2b. Standard FIA Phase 2/3 subplot diagram .................................................................... 13 Figure 3. GLKN subplot, modified from the standard FIA Phase 2/3 subplot............................. 14 Figure 4. Scale diagram of the hybrid plot .................................................................................. 15 vii Tables Page Table 1. Sampling frame for each of the nine GLKN parks......................................................... 11 Table