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Minnesota Grassland Monitoring Team

Minnesota Grassland Monitoring Team. Pilot Season – 2008. Protocol Clarifications & Recommendations. Plant Groups.

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Minnesota Grassland Monitoring Team

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  1. Minnesota Grassland Monitoring Team Pilot Season – 2008

  2. Protocol Clarifications & Recommendations

  3. Plant Groups • Foliar (vertically-projected cover) cover used rather than canopy cover to select an initial life-form class (e.g. Herbaceous (100s), Low Shrub (200s), Tall Shrub (300s) or Tall Shrub Only (400s)) • Native trees on the invasives list were counted as native in the plot classification scheme (TNC) • Others interested in adding dominant natives at the plot level? If so, add as “optional” component of Option B?)

  4. Species Identification • More training & resources needed! • Over-reporting of Pasque flower (TNC) • Milkweed confusion (TNC) • Poa pratensis vs. P. compressa (now lumped as POACPX) • Dead vegetation (not considered by TNC in presence/absence) • Tier 1 only used earlier in field season, Tier 2 as confidence increased

  5. Transect Rejection • Some previously-established transects crossed transition zones in 2008, and were not thrown out (TNC) • See updated “rejection criteria” in new protocol format

  6. Data Summaries Across Sites

  7. Minnesota Grassland Monitoring Team Native vs. Invasive

  8. Minnesota Grassland Monitoring Team Native vs. Invasive

  9. Minnesota Grassland Monitoring Team Indicator Species

  10. Minnesota Grassland Monitoring Team Invasive Species

  11. Minnesota Grassland Monitoring Team Herbaceous vs. Woody

  12. Minnesota Grassland Monitoring Team Graminoid vs. Forb

  13. Minnesota Grassland Monitoring Team Visual Obstruction

  14. Quality Control (consistency checks)

  15. Welsh Done same date, 1st by FWS and TNC staff.

  16. Glacial Lake Done different dates by FWS staff (Sara V.) but within a few days of each other. Renavigated to the plots using Trimble.

  17. Welker Done different dates by FWS staff (Sara V.) but within a few days of each other. Renavigated to the plots using Trimble.

  18. Freeman N Done different dates by FWS staff (Sara V.) but within a few days of each other. Renavigated to the plots using Trimble.

  19. Invasives: Plot vs. Transects

  20. 248 of 300 transects TNC * 32% of plots missed at least one species picked up by the transect checklist

  21. Data Base

  22. Reports • Average VOR report needed • Transect level data (VOR, system type, indicator species, etc.) not needed on each page of transect report – just transect name and date are fine. • Alphabetize invasives within plots on transect reports to make error-checks easier? • Indicator species sometimes cut off from transect details reports (if >4 species two far right ones cut off)

  23. Additional Fields • Version of monitoring protocol used • Treatment groups or dates of treatments • Possible to select Option B, but also be able to use *just* Tier 1 species without confusing anyone? • “Notes” field was added during 2008 field season, but tied to a transect rather than to a monitoring event.

  24. Organization/Data cleanup? • Rearrange order of drop-down boxes so 5 most common weeds at top? • What if data missing, especially with litter or VOR? Need to have an N/A? • When is it necessary to do set-up?

  25. Database Comments for Group • If data for a transect are incomplete, let Sara know it should be excluded from the analysis • Data entry tips: • Can start typing instead of drop-downs • Tips for data quality checks

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