This dataset results from systematic sampling on 60 randomly selected plots within the spruce-fir zone of GRSM. Researchers recorded the frequency and cover of 97 bryophyte species occurring on ground-layer substrates in spruce-fir forests, as well as tree density in mulitple strata, herbaceous layer composition and cover, and soil chemical properties. This database contains all raw data entered from paper datasheets, data acquired from GIS data layers, and data produced from post-field labwork such as tree core ring counts and soil chemical anaylses.

Wildflower phenology data recorded from 13 plots of 2 meter square, at The Purchase area and near Chimneys Picnic Area. Most data involve species in bloom and number of blooms per species per square, but other phenophases are also recorded on flowering and non-flowering plants for most plots. Chimneys Picnic Area data extends back to 2000, Purchase data to 2011 (previously certified).

Wildflower phenology data recorded from 13 plots of 2 meter square, at The Purchase area and near Chimneys Picnic Area. Most data involve species in bloom and number of blooms per species per square, but other phenophases are also recorded on flowering and non-flowering plants for most plots. Chimneys Picnic Area data extends back to 2000, Purchase data to 2011 (previously certified).

Nighttime roadside spotlight counts of white-tailed deer in Cades Cove, Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Nighttime roadside spotlight counts of white-tailed deer in Cades Cove, Great Smoky Mountains National Park

This database includes all data related to long-term vegetation monitoring performed by GRSM I&M staff from 2003-2009. Data collection methods follow Jenkins 2008 protocol, and are generally referred to as the GRSM Vegetation Monitoring plots. This program ended in 2009 and was replaced with the Vital Signs program, however, this database will still occasionally be updated as research partners revisit plots.

The natural resource monitoring component of the parks I&M Program provides park managers, planners, and other key audiences with scientifically-credible data and information on the status and trends of selected park resources. The information is used as a basis for making decisions and working with other agencies and the public for the long-term protection of park ecosystems. The park I&M monitoring program is designed to provide site-specific information needed to identify and understand change in park ecosystems that are characterized by complexity, variability, and surprises. The information helps to determine whether observed changes are within natural levels of variability, or if they may be the result of unwanted human influences. The broad-based, scientifically sound information obtained through this systems-based, long-term ecological monitoring program has multiple applications for management decision-making, research, education, and promoting public understanding of park resources. These data depict the primary and secondary watersheds within which Vital Signs data collection efforts have been tailored around aquatic ecosystems. Park goals for Vital Signs Monitoring determine the status and trends, in selected indicators, of the condition of park ecosystems to allow managers to make better-informed decisions and to work more effectively with other agencies and individuals for the benefit of park resources.Provide early warning of abnormal conditions of selected resources to help develop effective mitigation measures and reduce costs of management. Provide data to better understand the dynamic nature and condition of park ecosystems and to provide reference points for comparisons with other, altered environments.Provide data to meet certain legal and Congressional mandates related to natural resource protection and visitor enjoyment.Provide a means of measuring progress towards performance goalsVital signs monitoring tracks a subset of physical, chemical, and biological elements and processes of park ecosystems that are selected to represent the overall health or condition of park resources, known or hypothesized effects of stressors, or elements that have important human values. Monitoring results are used by park managers, planners, interpreters, and partners to support management decision-making, park planning, research, education, and public understanding of park resources.More than 1,000 scientists, resource specialists, park managers, and data managers actively contributed to the design and implementation of this long-term program. This highly collaborative effort has resulted in an integrative, park-based program with a strong link between scientific and technical information and management needs, and an emphasis on helping to "put science into the hands of park managers and planners" in the National Park Service.