Terrestrial vegetation monitoring at Fort Frederica National Monument: 2020 data summary

Abstract

The Southeast Coast Network (SECN) conducts long-term terrestrial vegetation monitoring as part of the nationwide Inventory and Monitoring Program of the National Park Service (NPS). The vegetation community vital sign is one of the primary-tier resources identified by SECN park managers, and it is currently conducted at 15 network parks (DeVivo et al. 2008). Monitoring plants and their associated communities over time allows for targeted understanding of ecosystems within the SECN geography, which provides managers information about the degree of change within their parks’ natural vegetation. The year 2020 was the first time for conducting this monitoring effort within Fort Frederica National Monument (FOFR). Five vegetation plots were established throughout the park from August to September. Data collected in each plot included species richness across multiple spatial scales, species-specific cover and constancy, species-specific woody stem seedling/sapling counts and adult tree (greater than 10 centimeters [3.9 inches {in}]) diameter at breast height (DBH), overall tree health, landform, soil, observed disturbance, and woody biomass (i.e., fuel load) estimates. This report summarizes the baseline (year 1) terrestrial vegetation data collected at Fort Frederica National Monument in 2020. Data were stratified across Maritime Upland Forest and Shrubland habitat within the park. Noteworthy findings include: Ninety-one vascular plant taxa (species or lower) were observed across five vegetation plots within the Maritime Upland Forest and Shrubland broadly defined habitat of the park, including 19 species not previously documented within the park. The most frequently encountered species included yaupon (Ilex vomitoria), Darlington oak (Quercus hemisphaerica), wax myrtle (Morella cerifera), muscadine (Muscadinia rotundifolia var. rotundifolia), redbay (Persea borbonia), live oak (Quercus virginiana), Spanish moss (Tillandsia usneoides), cabbage palmetto (Sabal palmetto), and Virginia creeper (Parthenocissus quinquefolia). Two non-native species categorized as invasive by the Georgia Exotic Pest Plant Council (GA-EPPC 2022) were present in four of the five monitoring plots; these included camphortree (Camphora officinarum) (constancy = 80%) and Chinese tallow (Triadica sebifera)(constancy = 10%). One vascular plant species listed as rare and tracked by the Georgia Department of Natural Resources (GADNR 2022) was observed in these monitoring plots—small ball moss (Tillandsia recurvata). Darlington oak and loblolly pine (Pinus taeda) were the most dominant species (based on density) within the tree stratum of upland forests within Fort Frederica National Monument. Species that dominated the sapling and seedling strata of this type included yaupon, inkberry (Ilex glabra), redbay, and Darlington oak. Eighty-five percent of the trees measured in the parks Maritime Upland Forest and Shrubland habitat type were alive and greater than 75% were experiencing healthy vigor.