Engaging citizen scientists in El Yunque National Forest: Results from the Vegetation Monitoring Project

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Christopher J. Nytch, Fundación Amigos de El Yunque, San Juan, PR, Ricardo J. Santiago-García, El Yunque National Forest, USDA Forest Service, Río Grande, PR, Elvia J. Meléndez-Ackerman, Environmental Sciences, University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras Campus, San Juan, Puerto Rico and Julissa Rojas-Sandoval, Institute of the Environment, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT

Background/Question/Methods
There is growing public interest to contribute to environmental monitoring efforts, and contemporary forest management practices increasingly call for community involvement. This presents an opportunity for citizen science projects that generate multiple outcomes. The El Yunque National Forest (EYNF) Vegetation Monitoring Project was launched in 2018 by Fundación Amigos de El Yunque, in partnership with the USDA Forest Service, the University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras, and other stakeholders. Objectives included 1) establishing long-term monitoring plots throughout secondary forest lands of EYNF recently impacted by Hurricane María, and 2) engaging citizen scientists to collect data about vegetative composition and structure using adapted i-Tree Eco methodology. A train-the-trainers model was employed, instructing university students and other youth in forest mensuration skills, who then guided volunteers in implementing the monitoring protocol in the field. The resulting vegetation data were summarized and compared with other vegetation studies from EYNF and select ecosystem services were estimated using i-Tree software.
Results/Conclusions
Over a 2-year period, forty 0.1 ha plots were established around EYNF in lands with varying degrees of prior land use and hurricane disturbance. Nine university students and six additional youth were trained as project assistants. 172 citizens were engaged during community workshops. 75 volunteers participated in field workdays and logged more than 750 hours collecting, entering, and managing data. 80% of the plots had historical forest cover of less than 50%, and 20% of the plots demonstrated clear evidence of historical plantings. Almost 4,800 trees ≥ 5 cm dbh were tagged and measured for diameter, height, and crown characteristics; approximately 30% exhibited major damage and 10% were dead. A total of 140 species were identified, including saplings < 5 cm dbh, 87% of which were native. The most abundant species were Prestoea montana var. acuminata, Cecropia schreberiana and Swietenia macrophylla. Density of live trees ≥ 5 cm was 1,092 trees/ha while density of saplings < 5 cm was 36,580 trees/ha. Composition and structure were comparable to data from other long-term ecological studies in EYNF. Ecosystem services were estimated at approximately USD $1M per 4 ha, with the greatest services attributed to trees’ structural value and carbon storage. A web-based interface was created for managing data and disseminating findings to the public. The project was the first of its kind to incorporate citizen scientists in co-management on federal lands in Puerto Rico and highlights the benefits for both land managers and community participants.