Rocky Mountain Research Station Publications
RMRS Online Publication - Journal
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Forest vegetation monitoring protocol for
National Parks in the North Coast and Cascades Network
Woodward, Andrea; Hutten, Karen M.; Boetsch, John R.; Acker, Steven A.; Rochefort, Regina M.; Bivin, Mignonne M.; Kurth, Laurie L. 2009. Forest vegetation monitoring protocol for National Parks in the North Coast and Cascades Network. Techniques and Methods 2-A8. Reston, VA: U.S. Department of the Interior, U.S. Geological Survey. 228 p.
Plant communities are the foundation for terrestrial trophic webs and animal habitat, and their structure and species composition are an integrated result of biological and physical drivers (Gates, 1993). Additionally, they have a major role in geologic, geomorphologic and soil development processes (Jenny, 1941; Stevens and Walker, 1970). Throughout most of the Pacific Northwest, environmental conditions support coniferous forests as the dominant vegetation type. In the face of anthropogenic climate change, forests have a global role as potential sinks for atmospheric carbon (Goodale and others, 2002). Consequently, knowledge of the status of forests in the three large parks of the NCCN [that is, Mount Rainier (MORA), North Cascades (NOCA), and Olympic (OLYM) National Parks] is fundamental to understanding the condition of Pacific Northwest ecosystems.
Keywords: forest vegetation, monitoring, Pacific Northwest
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Title: RMRS Other
Publications: Forest vegetation monitoring protocol for National
Parks in the North Coast and Cascades Network
Electronic Publish Date: October 16, 2009
Last Update: October
16, 2009