OOS 19-4 - Using ecological sites and historic vegetation to set reference conditions for natural community health assessment of Midwest oak woodlands.

Tuesday, August 16, 2022

4:15 PM – 4:30 PM EDT

Location: 520C

Presenting Author(s)

Don Faber-Langendoen

Senior Ecologist
NatureServe
Syracuse, New York, United States

Slides (PDF)

Co-author(s)

GB

Gina Beebe

University of Missouri - Columbia
JS

Jason Stevens

U.S. Forest Service
ML

Mike Leahy

Missouri Dept. of Conservation
KS

Kyle Steele

U.S. Forest Service
BD

Brian Davidson

U.S. Forest Service
CN

Carl Nordman

NatureServe
GN

Greg Nowacki

U.S. Forest Service

Background/Question/Methods
Oak savannas, woodlands, and forests were historically an important component of the Central Hardwood Region of middle America. These ecosystems have declined in recent years due to fire suppression and mesophication. Here we provide a set of rapid assessment metrics based on the Missouri Community Health Index (CHI) and NatureServe’s Ecological Integrity Assessment (EIA) methods to assess and track changes through time for ecosystem restoration efforts. We use ecological sites to help identify the appropriate reference conditions for restoring sites.

Results/Conclusions
landscape context metrics. Individual assessment points (thresholds) and ratings (Excellent, Good, Fair, and Poor) were designed, and field protocols were developed using rapid field methods, such as basal area prisms and ocular (visual) estimates of cover. A case study using Ozark dry-mesic oak woodlands is presented from the Mark Twain National Forest in Missouri. These methods can guide assessments of the native biodiversity and priority wildlife values of oak woodlands across the Midwest.