Vegetation Succession in Elk Exclosures of Olympic National Park

Data describe changes in abundance of herbs, ferns, shrubs and trees inside and outside of elk exclosures over 36 years in Olympic National Park. Data were collected annually early in the time series and subsequently less frequently. Two exclosures sited on different alluvial terraces were sampled within old-growth Sitka spruce-Douglas fir forests on the western side of the Olympic Peninsula in Olympic National Park. Roosevelt elk were the primary herbivore with much lesser effects from Columbia black-tailed deer. Changes in elk density outside of the exclosure varied over time and was quantified for some of the time period.