National Park Service U.S. Department of the Interior Natural Resource Stewardship and Science Natural Resource Condition Assessment for Natchez Trace Parkway Natural Resource Report NPS/NATR/NRR—2014/843 ON THE COVER Lyreleaf sage blooms along the Natchez Trace Parkway Photograph by: Marc Muench Natural Resource Condition Assessment for Natchez Trace Parkway Natural Resource Report NPS/NATR/NRR—2014/843 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 September 2014 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 formal peer review. Peer review was conducted by highly qualified individuals with subject area technical expertise and was overseen by a peer review manager. 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). To receive this report in a format optimized for screen readers, please email [email protected]. Please cite this publication as: Sundin, G., L. Worsham, N. Nibbelink, G. Grossman, and M. Mengak. 2014. Natural resource condition assessment for Natchez Trace Parkway. Natural Resource Report NPS /NATR/NRR— 2014/843. National Park Serv ice. Fort Collins, Colorado. NPS 604/126041, September 2014 ii Contents Page Contents ......................................................................................................................................... iii Figures............................................................................................................................................ ix Tables ........................................................................................................................................... xiii Executive Summary ..................................................................................................................... xxi Acknowledgements .................................................................................................................... xxiv Acronyms and Abbreviations ...................................................................................................... xxi Chapter 1 NRCA Background Information .................................................................................. 1 Chapter 2 Introduction and Resource Setting ............................................................................... 5 2.1 Introduction ......................................................................................................................... 5 2.1.1 Enabling Legislation and Park Significance .................................................................. 5 2.1.2 Geographic Setting ......................................................................................................... 5 2.1.3 Visitation Statistics ........................................................................................................ 7 2.2 Natural Resources ................................................................................................................ 7 2.2.1 Soils and Geology .......................................................................................................... 7 2.2.2 Hydrology ...................................................................................................................... 8 2.2.3 Plants ............................................................................................................................ 10 2.2.4 Vertebrate Animal Assemblages .................................................................................. 10 2.2.5 Adjacent Landscapes.................................................................................................... 10 2.2.6 Resource Issues and Management ............................................................................... 11 2.3 Literature Cited ................................................................................................................... 14 Chapter 3 Study Scoping and Design ......................................................................................... 15 3.1 Preliminary Scoping ........................................................................................................... 15 iii Contents (continued) Page 3.2 Study Design ....................................................................................................................... 15 3.2.1 Indicator Framework .................................................................................................... 15 3.2.2 Reporting Areas ........................................................................................................... 22 3.2.3 General Approach and Methods .................................................................................. 22 3.3 Literature Cited ................................................................................................................... 24 Chapter 4 Natural Resource Conditions ..................................................................................... 25 4.1 Ozone .................................................................................................................................. 25 4.1.1 Context and Standards ................................................................................................. 25 4.1.2 Data and Resource Knowledge .................................................................................... 25 4.1.3 Condition and Trend .................................................................................................... 27 4.1.4 Literature Cited ............................................................................................................ 27 4.2 Weather & Climate ............................................................................................................. 28 4.2.1 Context and Relevance ................................................................................................ 28 4.2.2 Data .............................................................................................................................. 28 4.2.3 Resource Knowledge ................................................................................................... 28 4.2.4 Condition and Trend .................................................................................................... 37 4.2.5 Literature Cited ........................................................................................................... 37 4.3 Water Quality ...................................................................................................................... 37 4.3.1 Relevance and Context ............................................................................................... 37 4.3.2 Data and Standards ...................................................................................................... 38 4.3.3 Reporting Areas ........................................................................................................... 42 4.3.4 Resource Knowledge Summary ................................................................................... 42 iv Contents (continued) Page 4.3.5 Condition and Trend .................................................................................................... 52 4.3.6 Condition Summary ..................................................................................................... 61 4.3.7 Literature Cited ............................................................................................................ 63 4.4 Terrestrial Vegetation ......................................................................................................... 64 4.4.1 Relevance and Context ................................................................................................ 64 4.4.2 Resource Knowledge ................................................................................................... 65 4.4.3 Summary ....................................................................................................................