Revised vegetation classification for Mount Rainier, North Cascades, and Olympic national parks: Project summary report

The National Park Service (NPS) has tested and used passive ozone samplers for several years to get baseline values for parks and to determine the spatial variability within parks. Experience has shown that the Ogawa passive samplers can provide ±10% accuracy when used with a quality assurance program consisting of blanks, duplicates, collocated instrumentation, and a standard operating procedure that carefully guides site operators. Although the passive device does not meet EPA criteria as a certified method (mainly, that hourly values be measured), it does provide seasonal summed values of ozone. The seasonal ozone concentrations from the passive devices can be compared to other monitoring to determine baseline values, trends, and spatial variations. This point is illustrated with some kriged interpolation maps of ozone statistics. Passive ozone samplers were used to get elevational gradients and spatial distributions of ozone within a park. This was done in varying degrees at Mount Rainier, Olympic, Sequoia–Kings Canyon, Yosemite, Joshua Tree, Rocky Mountain, and Great Smoky Mountains national parks. The ozone has been found to vary by factors of 2 and 3 within a park when average ozone is compared between locations. Specific examples of the spatial distributions of ozone in three parks within California are given using interpolation maps. Positive aspects and limitations of the passive sampling approach are presented.

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Birds of the National Parks Rules and Regulations, Mount Rainier National Park Rocky Mountain National Park Sequoia and General Grant National Parks Yellowstone National Park Yosemite National Park

The Auk ◽

10.2307/4073192 ◽

1920 ◽

Vol 37 (4) ◽

pp. 614-614

Keyword(s):

National Parks ◽

Yellowstone National Park ◽

National Park ◽

Rocky Mountain ◽

Rocky Mountain National Park ◽

Yosemite National Park ◽

Mount Rainier ◽

Mount Rainier National Park

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Whitebark Pine in the Northern Cascades: Tracking the Effects of Blister Rust on Population Health in North Cascades National Park Service Complex and Mount Rainier National Park

10.20944/preprints201802.0148.v1 ◽

2018 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Regina Rochefort ◽

Shay Howlin ◽

Lacey Jeroue ◽

John Boetsch ◽

Lise Grace

Keyword(s):

National Park ◽

National Park Service ◽

Mortality Rates ◽

Whitebark Pine ◽

North Cascades ◽

Blister Rust ◽

Mountain Pine ◽

Mount Rainier ◽

Mount Rainier National Park ◽

Park Service

Whitebark pine (Pinus albicaulis Engelm.) is a key component of subalpine and alpine ecosystems in the northern Cascades. The species survival is threatened by white pine blister rust, mountain pine beetles, fire exclusion, and climate change. Trees were monitored in permanent plots in two national parks three times between 2004 and 2016. The proportion of trees showing signs of blister rust infection increased in North Cascades National Park Service Complex from 32% in 2004 to 51% in 2016 and from 18% to 38% in Mount Rainier National Park. Mortality increased from 7% to 21% in North Cascades National Park Service Complex and 38% to 44% in Mount Rainier National Park. Annual mortality rates were calculated for three time periods: 2004-2009, 2009-2015/2016, and 2004-2015/2016. Mortality rates, annualized across the entire study period, were 1.47% in Mount Rainier National Park and 2.27% in North Cascades National Park Service Complex; these rates decreased between the first time period and the second, which could reflect blister rust resistance. Signs of mountain pine beetle were rare and limited to a few trees in individual plots. Although reproductive trees were found in most stands, densities were low and regeneration was dominated by subalpine fir.

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