Congaree Swamp National Monument Field Plots Data Base for Vegetation Mapping

Vegetation field plots at Congaree Swamp National Monument were visited,
described, and documented in a digital database. The database consists of 2
parts - (1) Physical Descriptive Data, and (2) Species Listings.

The vegetation plots were used to describe the vegetation in and around
Congaree Swamp National Monument and to assist in developing a final mapping
classification system.

On June 30, 1983, Congaree Swamp National Monument became an International
Biosphere Reserve. Congaree is noted for containing one of the last significant
stands of old growth bottomland hardwood forest, over 11,000 acres in all. The
Monument contains over 90 species of trees, 16 of which hold state records for
size. Included in this list of records is a national record sweet gum with a
basal circumference of nearly 20 feet.

Congaree Swamp National Monument is located approximately 15 miles southeast of
Columbia, the state capitol of South Carolina. Old Bluff Highway (old Highway
48) lies just north of the Monument boundary. The eastern boundary is located
just northwest of the confluence of the Congaree and Wateree Rivers. The
Monument extends west to where Cedar Creek and Myers Creek join.

The methods used for the sampling and analysis of vegetation data and the
development of the classification generally followed the standards Doutline in
the Field Methods for Vegetation Mapping document
"http://biology.usgs.gov/npsveg/fieldmethods/index.html" produced for the
USGS-NPS Vegetation Mapping project. This process began with the development of
a provisional list of twenty-five vegetation types from teh International
Classification of Ecological Communities (ICEC) that were thought to have a
high likelihood of being in the park based on an initial field visit on 13-14
June, 1996.

One hundred twenty-eight plots were sampled by two two-person field teams in
July, August, and September of 1996. In a devation from the methodology
outlined in the Field Methods document, initial sample points were selected in
order to have plots in each of the aerial photograph signature types. The
gradsect approach was rejected because there appeared to be no potential for
stratifying sampling of the park based on slope, aspect, elevation, soil or
other natural features due to a lack of available information. Furthermore,
because of isolation from roads and trails of many portions of the park, it was
deemed not feasible to use a transect to establish plot locations. After
sampling, plots were tentatively assigned to the ICEC at the alliance level and
our goal was to have at least five plots in each of the twenty-five provisional
vegetation types. TIme limitations precluded the ability of the field teams to
install ten plots in each of the expected vegetation types as recommended in
the Field Methods document.

The information for the metadata came from
"http://biology.usgs.gov/npsveg/cosw/metacoswfield.html"