Restoration Field Monitoring Grasslands National Park

These data sets are comprised of restoration field monitoring data collected in Grasslands National Park, SK, Canada. The restoration fields are in mixed-grass or dry-grass prairie. GNP’s restoration fields vary in area, shape, seeded species and year of seeding. GNP has been collecting monitoring data from 2001 to present. One dataset is comprised of community structure information including cover of total live native herbaceous cover (graminoids), total live native forb cover, total bare ground, total litter cover, animal dung, lichen/moss cover, total native shrub cover, total non-native cover and total noxious plant cover. Cover estimates for individual species can be found in the other data set.

Restoration field monitoring was collected via two different methods, with the procedure updated in 2020. Restoration field monitoring post-2020 takes place bi-annually until set targets are met or until the field reaches 15 years of age then follows a reduced sampling of every 4 years. This monitoring takes place between mid-June and July 31st. Stratified random sampling points were created from a grid pattern in GIS where 160-acre fields consisted of 40 sampling points while smaller areas have proportionally fewer points. Measurements were taken within a Daubenmire Frame (≈ 51cm by 21.5cm) thrown randomly within approximately 10 meters of the points. Post-2020 measurements were based on a cover class system and measured total live native herbaceous cover (graminoids), total live native forb cover, total bare ground, total litter cover, animal dung, lichen/moss cover, total native shrub cover, total non-native cover, total noxious plant cover, and live/current year’s growth cover for each species found within the sampling frame. The cover classes listed as: 1=0-0.1%, 2=0.1-1%, 3=1-3%, 4=3-10%, 5=10-25%, 6=25-50%, 7=50-75%, 8=75-95%, 9=95-100%.

Prior to the update, field monitoring was conducted every 50m, beginning at 0m, along two transects that crossed the seeded field on the long axis. Measurements were taken within a Daubenmire Frame (≈ 51cm by 21.5cm) thrown randomly, alternatively on the left and right side of the transect. Sampling was conducted annually between July and August, until the threshold of 20 native plants/m2 was reached. Then established fields were sampled with a reduced frequency of 3-5 years. Pre-2020 measurements taken within the Daubenmire frame included the number and percent cover of listed species: Crested Wheatgrass (Agropyron cristatum), Foxtail Barley (Hordeum jubatum), Blue Gramma (Bouteloua gracilis), Western Wheatgrass (Pascopyrum smithii), Northern Wheatgrass (Elymus lanceolatus), June grass (Koeleria macrantha) and Sandberg’s bluegrass (Poa secunda). Percent cover of the four most abundant species within the frame per category were recorded. Categories included; broadleaf weeds, noxious weeds (as designated by the SK weed control act; (2010), native forbs, native shrubs, other native grasses (not listed above), needle grasses (stipa spp) and other non-native grasses (not listed above). Total percent cover of each of the categories were estimated along with percent cover of bare ground, lichen and litter. 

In order to make the dataset more cohesive pre-2020 data was re-worked in order to match the post-2020 data set.

Organization: Parks Canada | Parcs Canada