Publisher's Synopsis
Alpine ecosystems are important monitoring targets for the Rocky Mountain Inventory and Monitoring Network (ROMN) for a number of reasons, including their value to park visitors, wildlife, and water resources in the West. Alpine ecosystems are also particularly vulnerable to climate change. Here, the authors present a summary of their efforts in 2010 to monitor vegetation composition, structure, and soils at four sentinel sites in the alpine of Rocky Mountain National Park (ROMO). This was not a full monitoring event; instead the authors spent time piloting new methods and adding confidence to their species lists. This report is intended to provide a timely release of basic data sets and data summaries. The authors expect to produce reports with more in-depth data analysis and interpretation when we do the second full sample event (5 years) or as needed for park management and interpretation.
