National Park Service U.S. Department of the Interior Natural Resource Stewardship and Science Natural Resource Condition Assessment for Fort Donelson National Battlefield Natural Resource Report NPS/FODO/NRR—2013/621 ON THE COVER Clockwise from top left: Lower River Battery overlooking Cumberland River, American Robin (Turdus migratorius) eggs inside cannon, musket demonstration, and resident Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) pair Photographs courtesy of National Park Service Natural Resource Condition Assessment for Fort Donelson National Battlefield Natural Resource Report NPS/FODO/NRR—2013/621 Gary Sundin, Luke Worsham, Nathan P. Nibbelink, Michael T. Mengak, Gary Grossman Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources University of Georgia 180 E. Green St. Athens, GA 30602 January 2013 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 Report Series is used to disseminate 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. 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. This report received informal peer review by subject-matter experts who were not directly involved in the collection, analysis, or reporting of the data. 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 from the Integrated Resource Management Applications website (http://irma.nps.gov) and the Natural Resource Publications Management website (http://www.nature.nps.gov/publications/nrpm/). Please cite this publication as: Sundin, G., L. Worsham, N. Nibbelink, G. Grossman, and M. Mengak. 2013. Natural resource condition assessment for Fort Donelson National Battlefield. Natural Resource Report NPS/FODO/NRR—2013/621. National Park Service, Fort Collins, Colorado. NPS 328/119658, January 2013 iv Contents Page Contents .......................................................................................................................................... v Figures............................................................................................................................................. x Figures (continued) ........................................................................................................................ xi Figures (continued) ....................................................................................................................... xii Tables ........................................................................................................................................... xiii Executive Summary .................................................................................................................... xvii Chapter 1 NRCA Background Information .................................................................................... 1 Chapter 2 Introduction and Resource Setting ............................................................................... 5 2.1 Introduction ...................................................................................................................... 5 2.1.1 Enabling Legislation ................................................................................................. 5 2.1.2 Geographic Setting.................................................................................................... 5 2.1.3 Park History .............................................................................................................. 7 2.1.4 Soils and Geology ..................................................................................................... 7 2.1.5 Hydrology ................................................................................................................. 9 2.1.6 Visitation Statistics ................................................................................................. 11 2.2 Natural Resources ........................................................................................................... 11 2.2.1 Resource Descriptions ............................................................................................ 11 2.2.2 Ecological Units ...................................................................................................... 13 2.2.3 Resource Issues Overview ...................................................................................... 13 2.3 Literature Cited ............................................................................................................... 14 Chapter 3 Study Scoping and Design ......................................................................................... 17 3.1 Preliminary Scoping ...................................................................................................... 17 3.2 Study Design .................................................................................................................. 17 v Contents (continued) Page 3.2.1 Indicator Framework ............................................................................................... 17 3.2.2 General Approach and Methods ............................................................................. 24 3.2.3 Reporting Areas ...................................................................................................... 25 3.3 Literature Cited ................................................................................................................ 26 Chapter 4 Natural Resource Conditions ..................................................................................... 29 4.1 Air Quality ..................................................................................................................... 29 4.1.1 Ozone ...................................................................................................................... 29 4.1.2 Foliar Injury ............................................................................................................. 33 4.1.4 Literature Cited ....................................................................................................... 38 4.2 Water Quality ................................................................................................................... 38 4.2.1 Data ......................................................................................................................... 39 4.2.2 Parameters ............................................................................................................... 40 4.2.3. Condition and Trend .............................................................................................. 45 4.2.4 Literature Cited ....................................................................................................... 46 4.3 Exotic Plants .................................................................................................................... 46 4.3.1 Relevance and Context ........................................................................................... 46 4.3.2 Data and Methods ................................................................................................... 46 4.3.3 Condition and Trend ............................................................................................... 49 4.3.4 Literature Cited ....................................................................................................... 51 4.4 Vegetation Communities ................................................................................................. 51 4.4.1 Resource Knowledge ............................................................................................... 51 4.4.2 Condition and Trend ................................................................................................ 56 4.4.4 Literature Cited ....................................................................................................... 56 vi Contents (continued) Page 4.5 Rare Plants ...................................................................................................................... 57 4.5.1 Resource Knowledge .............................................................................................. 57 4.5.2 Condition and Trend ............................................................................................... 58 4.5.3 Literature Cited ....................................................................................................... 59 4.6 Forest Pests and Pathogens ............................................................................................