Plant Communities Monitoring

Grassland and woodland communities in Heartland parks are important natural resources and the focus of much management attention. Plant community monitoring is designed to detect and describe changes in prairie, savanna/woodland and forest communities. Heartland parks represent the few remaining refuges where the once widespread prairie grasslands persist as well as remnant and restored woodland communities. Furthermore, both intact prairie and woodland represent the historical landscape context for the cultural resources the parks are intended to interpret.

Profound alteration of lands in the mid-continent to agricultural use has permanently disrupted the natural forces of wildfire and grazing in the prairie. Similar changes have affected woodland and forest communities through logging and fire suppression. Consequently, managers employ prescribed fire, manual removal of woody species, exotic control and restoration to maintain the prairie and forest stand dynamics. To date, the effectiveness of management actions in sustaining prairie and restoring woodlands in the face of fragmentation, disruption of natural disturbance regimes, and exotic species encroachment is uncertain.

Reports

Agate Fossil Beds/Scott's Bluff
2005 Report
2005 Scott's Bluff USGS Grazing Research Report
Effigy Mounds National Monument
2004 Report
George Washington Carver National Monument      Resource Brief
James, K.M. and G.A. Rowell. 2009. Plant Community Monitoring Baseline Report, George Washington Carver National Monument. Natural Resource Technical Report NPS/HTLN/NRTR—2009/190. National Park Service, Fort Collins, Colorado.
2005 Report
Herbert Hoover National Historic Site      Resource Brief
Williams, M.H., S.A. Leis, and P. Christiansen. 2007. Evaluation of fire effects and restoration progress through 21 years of prairie vegetation monitoring at Herbert Hoover National Historic Site, 1982-2005. Natural Resource Technical Report NPS/HTLN/NRTR—2007/052. National Park Service, Fort Collins, Colorado.
2004 Report
Homestead National Monument of America      Resource Brief
James, K., and DeBacker, M. 2007. Plant Community Monitoring Trend Report, Homestead National Monument of America. Natural Resource Technical Report NPS/HTLN/NRTR—2007/028. National Park Service, Fort Collins, Colorado.
2003 Woodland Vascular Plant Inventory
Hot Springs National Park      Resource Brief
James, K. 2008. Forest Community Monitoring Baseline Report, Hot Springs National Park. Natural Resource Technical Report NPS/HTLN/NRTR—2008/081. National Park Service, Fort Collins, Colorado.
Pea Ridge National Military Park      Resource Brief
James, K. 2008. Forest Community Monitoring Baseline Report, Pea Ridge National Military Park. Natural Resource Technical Report NPS/HTLN/NRTR—2008/082. National Park Service, Fort Collins, Colorado.
Pipestone National Monument      Resource Brief
James, K., and DeBacker, M. 2007. Plant Community Monitoring Trend Report, Pipestone National Monument. Natural Resource Technical Report NPS/HTLN/NRTR—2007/029. National Park Service, Fort Collins, Colorado.
Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve     Resource Brief
James, K., and DeBacker, M. 2007. Plant Community Monitoring Trend Report, Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve. Natural Resource Technical Report NPS/HTLN/NRTR—2007/030. National Park Service, Fort Collins, Colorado.
Sasseen, A., and DeBacker, M. 2006. Baseline Plant Community Monitoring Report, Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve. Natural Resource Technical Report NPS/HTLN/NRTR—2006/019. National Park Service, Fort Collins, Colorado.
Wilson's Creek National Battlefield      Resource Brief
Leis, S.A., and K. James. 2008. Effects of multiple intense disturbances at Manley Woods, Wilson's Creek National Battlefield. Natural Resource Technical Report NPS/HTLN/NRTR- 2008/123. National Park Service, Fort Collins, Colorado.
2003 Report on Tornado Damage

 

Monitoring Questions and Approach

1. What is the current species composition, structure and diversity of remnant and restored prairie, savanna/woodland and forest communities?
   • Measure vascular plant species composition and foliar cover in permanent plots.
2. Is the structure, composition and diversity of prairie, savanna/woodland and forest communities changing?  If so, is this change directional, cyclic, or random?
   • Monitor vascular plant species composition and foliar cover at regular intervals.
   • Initially, monitor for several consecutive years to assess inter-annual variability and obtain a multi-year baseline.
3. Are trends in species composition, structure, and diversity correlated with climatic variables or management activities, such as prescribed fire?
   • Record management actions and acquire climatic data for correlation with monitoring results.

Protocol

• James, K. M., M. D. DeBacker, G. A. Rowell, J. L. Haack and L. W. Morrison. 2009. Vegetation community monitoring protocol for the Heartland Inventory and Monitoring Network. Natural Resource Report NPS/HTLN/NRR — 2009/141. National Park Service, Fort Collins, Colorado. (PDF).

• DeBacker, M.D., A.N. Sasseen, C. Becker, G.A. Rowell, L.P. Thomas, J.R. Boetsch, and G.D. Willson. 2004. Vegetation Community Monitoring Protocol for the Heartland I&M Network and Prairie Cluster Prototype Monitoring Program. National Park Service, Republic, MO. (PDF).

• Download an example database for vegetation community monitoring data (Microsoft Access format).

Reports

• Go to the Reports page

References

• Collins, S.L.  2000.  Disturbance frequency and community stability in native tallgrass prairie.  The American Naturalist 155 (3):  311 – 325.

• Davison, C.  and K. Kindscher.  1999.  Tools for diversity:  fire, grazing, and mowing on tallgrass prairies.  Ecological Restoration 17 (3): 136 – 143.

• Earnest, S.K.M. and J.H. Brown.  2001.  Homeostasis and compensation:  the role of species and resources in ecosystem stability.  Ecology 82 (8):  2118 – 2132.

• Fuhlendorf , S.D. and D.M. Engle.  2001.  Restoring heterogeneity on rangelands:  ecosystem management based on evolutionary grazing patterns.  Biocience 51 (8):  625 – 632.

• Knapp, A.K., J.M. Blair, J.M. Briggs, S.L. Collins, D.C. Hartnett, L.C. Johnson, and E.G. Towne.  1999.  The keystone role of bison in North American tallgrass prairie.  BioScience 49: 39 – 50. 

• Landers, Roger Q. 1975. Report on the Status and Management of Native Prairie Areas in National Parks and Monuments in the Midwest Region (PDF).

• Smith, M.D. and A.K. Knapp.  2001.  Size of the local species pool determines invasibility of a C4-dominated grassland.  Oikos 92: 55 – 61.

• Wardle, D.A., K.I. Bonner, and G.M. Barker.  2000.  Stability of ecosystem properties in response to above-ground functional group richness and composition.  Oikos 89:  11 – 23. 

Links

• WASO NR GIS Data Store

Contact Information

• Kevin James
  Plant Ecologist (417-732-6438 ext. 270)