Vegetation community monitoring protocol for the Heartland Inventory and Monitoring Network: Narrative, Version 4.0

Abstract

Native and restored plant communities are part of the foundation of park ecosystems and provide a natural context to cultural and historical events in parks throughout the Heartland Inventory and Monitoring Network (HTLN). Vegetation communities across the HTLN are primarily of three types: prairie, woodland, and forest. Park resource managers need an effective plant community monitoring protocol to guide the development and adaptation of management strategies for maintaining and/or restoring composition and structure of prairies, woodland, and forest communities. Our monitoring design attempts to balance the needs of managers for current information and the need for insight into the changes occurring in vegetation communities over time. This monitoring protocol consists of a protocol narrative (this document) and 18 standard operating procedures (SOPs) for monitoring plant communities in HTLN parks. The scientific objectives of HTLN plant community monitoring are to (1) describe the species composition, structure, and diversity of prairie, woodland, and forested communities; (2) determine temporal changes in the species composition, structure and diversity of prairie, woodland, and forested communities; and (3) determine the relationship between temporal and spatial changes and environmental variables, including specific management practices where possible. This protocol narrative describes the sampling design for plant communities, including the response design (data collection methods), spatial design (distribution of sampling sites within a park), and revisit design (timing and frequency of monitoring visits). Details can be found in the SOPs, which are listed in the Revision History section and available at the Integrated Resource Management Applications (IRMA) website (irma.nps.gov). Other aspects of the protocol summarized in the narrative include procedures for data management and reporting, personnel and operating requirements, and instructions for how to revise the protocol.