National Park Service U.S. Department of the Interior Natural Resource Stewardship and Science Plant Community Composition and Structure Monitoring at Wind Cave National Park 2018 Data Report Natural Resource Data Series NPS/NGPN/NRDS—2019/1197 ON THIS PAGE Plant community composition and structure monitoring plot WICA_PCM_0019 at Wind Cave National Park, June 2018. Photograph courtesy of the National Park Service. ON THE COVER Plant community composition and structure monitoring plot WICA_PCM_2054 at Wind Cave National Park, June 2018. Photograph courtesy of the National Park Service. Plant Community Composition and Structure Monitoring at Wind Cave National Park 2018 Data Report Natural Resource Data Series NPS/NGPN/NRDS—2019/1197 Ryan M. Manuel,1 Daniel J. Swanson2 1National Park Service Northern Great Plains Inventory & Monitoring Network 231 E. St. Joseph St. Rapid City, SD 57701 2National Park Service Northern Great Plains Fire Management 26611 U.S. Hwy 385 Hot Springs, SD 57747 January 2019 U.S. Department of the Interior National Park Service Natural Resource Stewardship and Science Fort Collins, Colorado The National Park Service, Natural Resource Stewardship and Science office in Fort Collins, Colorado, publishes a range of reports that address natural resource topics. These reports are of interest and applicability to a broad audience in the National Park Service and others in natural resource management, including scientists, conservation and environmental constituencies, and the public. The Natural Resource Data Series is intended for the timely release of basic data sets and data summaries. Care has been taken to assure accuracy of raw data values, but a thorough analysis and interpretation of the data has not been completed. Consequently, the initial analyses of data in this report are provisional and subject to change. All manuscripts in the series receive the appropriate level of peer review to ensure that the information is scientifically credible, technically accurate, appropriately written for the intended audience, and designed and published in a professional manner. Data in this report were collected and analyzed using methods based on established, peer-reviewed protocols and were analyzed and interpreted within the guidelines of the protocols. Views, statements, findings, conclusions, recommendations, and data in this report do not necessarily reflect views and policies of the National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior. Mention of trade names or commercial products does not constitute endorsement or recommendation for use by the U.S. Government. This report is available in digital format from the Northern Great Plains Inventory & Monitoring website and the Natural Resource Publications Management website. If you have difficulty accessing information in this publication, particularly if using assistive technology, please email [email protected]. Please cite this publication as: Manuel, R. M., and D. J. Swanson. 2019. Plant community composition and structure monitoring at Wind Cave National Park: 2018 data report. Natural Resource Data Series NPS/NGPN/NRDS— 2019/1197. National Park Service, Fort Collins, Colorado. NPS 108/150200, January 2019 ii Contents Page Figures................................................................................................................................................... iv Tables ..................................................................................................................................................... v Abstract ................................................................................................................................................. vi Acknowledgments ...............................................................................................................................viii Introduction ............................................................................................................................................ 1 Methods .................................................................................................................................................. 3 Sample Design ................................................................................................................................ 3 Plot Layout and Sampling .............................................................................................................. 6 Data Management and Analysis ..................................................................................................... 9 Results .................................................................................................................................................. 11 Further Analysis ................................................................................................................................... 27 Literature Cited .................................................................................................................................... 28 iii Figures Page Figure 1. Map of Wind Cave National Park (WICA) long-term monitoring plots visited in 2018. .................................................................................................................................................. 2 Figure 2. Map of the Rankin and Legion Lake wildfire perimeters and the Wind Cave National Park long-term monitoring plots visited by the Northern Great Plains Fire Ecology Program (NGPFire) during 2018. ............................................................................................ 5 Figure 3. Long-term monitoring plot layout used for sampling vegetation used by the Northern Great Plains Inventory and Monitoring and Fire Ecology programs. .................................... 7 Figure 4. The Northern Great Plains Inventory & Monitoring vegetation crew used point- intercept and quadrats to document plant diversity and abundance. ..................................................... 8 Figure 5. A rare cactus, Echinocereus viridiflorus, observed in Wind Cave National Park (NPS /RYAN MANUEL) .................................................................................................................... 11 iv Tables Page Table 1. Field journal for Northern Great Plains Network (NGPN) plant community monitoring (PCM) at Wind Cave National Park (WICA) in 2018. ....................................................... 3 Table 2. Field journal for Northern Great Plains Fire Effects Program (NGPFire) visits to plant community monitoring (PCM) plots at Wind Cave National Park in 2018. ................................. 6 Table 3. Exotic species included in the Northern Great Plains Network’s early detection and rapid response program. .................................................................................................................. 9 Table 4. A list of all plant species identified in Wind Cave National Park’s long-term plant community monitoring plots in 2018. ......................................................................................... 12 Table 5. Total number of plant species identified in plots monitored at Wind Cave National Park in 2018. ......................................................................................................................... 18 Table 6. Absolute percent cover of native and exotic plant species in plots monitored at Wind Cave National Park in 2018. ...................................................................................................... 19 Table 7. Woody species densities from 18 long-term monitoring plots visited at Wind Cave National Park in 2018. ................................................................................................................ 20 Table 8. Surface fuels summary for 7 plots visited in 2018 at Wind Cave National Park by Northern Great Plains Network....................................................................................................... 22 Table 9. Surface fuels summary for 13 plots visited in 2018 at Wind Cave National Park by Northern Great Plains Fire. ............................................................................................................. 23 Table 10. Disturbance type and area observed in 31 plots visited at Wind Cave National Park by Northern Great Plains Network and Northern Great Plains Fire in 2018. .............................. 24 v Abstract This report presents the results of vegetation monitoring efforts in 2018 at Wind Cave National Park (WICA) by the Northern Great Plains Inventory and Monitoring Network (NGPN) and the Northern Great Plains Fire Ecology (NGPFire) program. During the eighth full year of field work, the NGPN field crew visited eighteen long-term plant community monitoring (PCM) plots to collect data on the plant communities at WICA. The NGPFire crew visited twenty-five PCM plots. In early spring of 2018 NGPFire conducted post-burn severity assessments at an additional eight PCM plots. This is part of a long-term monitoring effort to better understand the condition of the mixed-grass prairie and ponderosa pine woodlands within the boundaries of WICA. NGPN staff captured data relating to species richness, herb-layer height, abundances of native and non-native species, ground cover, and site disturbance from each PCM plot. In plots where woody species were present, NGPN measured tree regeneration, tall shrub and tree density, and woody fuel load. The NGPFire crew collected data relating to burn severity, herb- layer height, abundance