Exotic Plant Species Assessment-Yosemite
Data collected in 1998 and 1999 and contained in 13 Tables plus 2 lookup tables

Field methods are available in:
Gerlach, J. D., Jr., P. E. Moore, B. Johnson, D. G. Roy, P. Whitmarsh, D. M. Lubin, D. M. Graber, S. Haultain, A. Pfaff, and J. E. Keeley. 2003. Alien plant species threat assessment and management prioritization for Sequoia-Kings Canyon and Yosemite National Parks. U.S. Geological Survey Open-file Report 02-170. https://pubs.er.usgs.gov/publication/ofr02170

List of Data Tables:
ALL_SURVEY_COORDS
AREA_SURVEYS
LINEAR_SURVEYS  
SHRUB_LINEINT1998
SITE
SUBSAMPLE_COVER1998
SUBSAMPLE_COVER1999
tblAccessioned_Plant_Specimens
TRAIL_USE_LEVEL
TRANSECT_LENGTH_1998
TREE_CANOPY1998
TREE_CANOPY1999
VOLUNT

List of Lookup Tables:
JFLORA
USGSQuad


Metadata by Table

Table: SITE
Table contents: Site description and location information
SITEUM: Site number from 1 to 110 (sites 35, 47, 62, and 63 are revisits of sites 1, 16, 15, and 19, respectively)
LOCATION: Place name for location
DESCRIP: Site description
DIRECTIONS: For relocation
METHOD: For sites 1-30 from 1998, q=quadrat data on species abundance collected in addition to categorical abundance by species, s=survey of site without quadrat subsampling
DISTURB: Whether site exhibits human disturbance
DATE: MM/DD/YYYY
QUAD: Code for 7.5 minute USGS quadrangle map (see USGSQUAD table)
County: Full name of county
OBS1: Full name of observer 1
OBS2: Full name of observer 2
UTMX_NAD83: PointX/East coordinate in North America Datum of 1983 derived from original coordinate recorded in NAD1927
UTMY_NAD83: PointY/North coordinate in North America Datum of 1983 derived from original coordinate recorded in NAD1927
UTME_NAD27: Original Point_X/East coordinate in NAD1927 datum converted to the NAD1983 datum in ArcGIS 10.5
UTMN_NAD27: Original Point_Y/North coordinate in NAD1927 datum converted to the NAD1983 datum in ArcGIS 10.5
UTMZONE: Yosemite National Park is entirely within Universal Transverse Mercator zone 11.
UTM_PRECISION: Estimated precision of UTM coordinates generated by Global Positioning System receivers and expressed in meters.
UTM_SOURCE: GPS = UTM coordinates obtained from Global Positioning System receiver in the field; USGS_QUAD = UTM coordinates obtained from 7.5 min. USGS topographical quadrangle
COORD_DESCRIP: Point for area = a single coordinate, whether from a USGS quadrangle or from a GPS and used to represent the survey site location in this table; Survey start = coordinate for the beginning point of the survey, for example if it is a linear feature like a road or trail; Survey end = coordinate for the end point of the survey; Baseline start = beginning of baseline established to place transect lines (see methods); Revisit Point for area: Indicates point of for a revisit in 1999 of a an area surveyed in 1998 (sites 35, 47, 62 & 63)
WAYPOINT: GPS numbered waypoint (coordinate set) used to represent site location from among those collected at the site (stored in AllSurveyCoords_NAD83 table)
ASPECT: Slope aspect (orientation) in degrees
SLOPE: Slope steepness in percent
ELEVATION: In feet
GPS_ELEV: Elevation, in feet, provided by GPS
PICTURE: Exposure numbers taken at site. (Mostly unused)
DISTANCE:  For linear surveys along roads & trails, the distance along which surveys were completed (in meters)
PATCHTYPE: Patch type category selected from: Trail, Campground, Camp control, Corral, Development.
HOLLANDTYPE: For sites 1-25, Vegetation type from Bob Holland's 'Preliminary Descriptions Terrestrial Natural Communities' taylored to Yosemite NP (1993)
VEGASSOC: Species codes separated by slashes of dominant overstory species.
VEGTYPE_NAME: Interpretation of VEGASSOC codes and translation to Yosemite Vegetation Classification associated with park vegetation map based on 1997 aerial photography
PHENOL: General comments on flowering phenology
SURVEYTYPE: Area = patch types not along a road or trail; Linear = Road and Trail patch types.
Notes: Notes on data, site, or methods
SURVEY: Overall site survey was done and non-native species inventoried
SUBSAMPLE: Subsampling was done at site with cover recorded by species within quadrats placed along transects


Table: AREA_SURVEYS
Table contents: Categorical abundance data for each species occurring in non-linear patch types: campgrounds, developments, and corrals.
SITENUM: Site number
JCODE: Species code (lookup table is JFlora). Codes ending in 9 indicate taxon not determined to infraspecific level. 
Species: Scientific name of species without authority
COLL_NUM: Collection number. Each collector (among 4 per season) used a different number series, e.g., Aaron King used 1000 series, Justin Adams used 3000 series, etc.
ABUNDANCE: Categories of 1-5: 1 = <10 individual plants: 2 = 11-100; 3 = 101-1,000; 4 = 1,001-10,000; and 5 = >10,000 plants
DISTRIB: 1-4; 1=scattered individuals; 2=scattered clumps of individuals; 3=large clumps of many individuals; 4=widespread throughout the area.
SEC1 to SEC10 fields: Not used for area surveys


Table: LINEAR_SURVEYS
Table contents: Data from surveys along linear patch types, including roads and trails, for both 1998 and 1999
SITENUM: Site number
SEC: Section along linear survey in which species was observed expressed as a decimal, e.g., 2.03 is site 2, section 3.
JCODE: Species code (lookup table is JFlora). Codes ending in 9 indicate taxon not determined to infraspecific level.
SPECIES: Scientific name without authority
COLL_NUM: Collection number


Table: SUBSAMPLE_COVER1998
Table contents: Quadrat data on exotic species abundance from 1-m x 1-m quadrats randomly placed along up to 10 transects in 1998 (17 sites). Cover estimates are to the closest percent.
Note:  Two ornametal, non-naturalized species were recorded for which there is no code in JFlora: Acer cercinatum and Parthenocissus vitacea
SITENUM: Site number for each site subsampled with quadrats
TRANSECT: Transect number, usually between 5 and 10 transects, depending on the size of the area being sampled
QUAD: Quadrat number along transect, up to 19 for a site
JCODE: Six-character alpha-numeric code from Jflora table. Codes ending in 9 indicate taxon not determined to infraspecific level. JCode field not populated for taxa determined only to genus or family.
SPECIES: Scientific name of species without authority
COLL_NUM: Collection number. Each collector (among 4) used a different number series
COVER: Ocular estimate of cover by species to the closest percent


Table: SUBSAMPLE_COVER1999
Table contents: Quadrat data on species abundance from 2-m x 1-m quadrats randomly placed along up to 10 transects in campgrounds, developments, and corrals in 1999 (40 sites). Cover estimates are to the closest percent- 
SITENUM: Site number for each site subsampled with quadrats
TRANSECT: Sequential number for each of ten transects in a site
QUAD: Sequential number for each of five quadrats on a transect
JCODE: Six-character alpha-numeric code from Jflora. "NATIVE" is used for each unique native species in 1999. Codes ending in 9 indicate taxon not determined to infraspecific level.
SPECIES: Scientific name of species without authority
COLL_NUM: Unique specimen collection number; final determinations are in tblAccessioned_Plant_Specimens table
COVER: Estimated cover, in percent, for each taxon listed


Table:  TREE_CANOPY1998
Table contents: Tree canopy collected in 1998 recorded at 100 "regular" interval points along transects of varying lengths (see TRANSECT_LENGTH_1998 table). Determined using the point-intercept method with a hand-held "periscope" (Geographic Resource Solutions, Arcata, Calif.) for determining canopy presence at cross hairs as viewed through in a mirror mounted in an "L" shaped tube.
ID: Record identification
SITENUM: Site number between 1 and 30
CAN_Y: Number of tree canopy hits at each of 100 points
CAN_N: Number of points with no tree canopy
REJ_Y: Points where canopy could not be sampled
REJ_N: Points that were not rejected for sampling


Table:  TREE_CANOPY1999
Table contents: Tree canopy data collected in 1999 with presence/absence recorded every 5 m along each transect using the point-intercept method with a hand-held "periscope" (Geographic Resource Solutions, Arcata, Calif.) for determining canopy presence at cross hairs as viewed through in a mirror mounted in an "L" shaped tube.
ID: Record identification
SITENUM: Site number between 31 and 109
TRANSECT: Transect number, usually from 1 to 10
CAN_Y: Number of points intersecting tree canopy out of 10 points
CAN_N: Number of points without canopy hits out of 10 points


Table:  SHRUB_LINEINT1998
Table contents: Canopy cover of shrubs collected in 1998 measured as intercepts along transects of varying lengths (see TRANSECT_LENGTH_1998 table)
ID: Record identification
SITENUM: Site number
SPECIES: Scientific name of woody species intercecting transect
TRANSECT: Transect number
INTERCEPT: The distance along the transect the species occurred (in meters?)


Table: ALL_SURVEY_COORDS: 
Table contents:  stores all coordinates, including survey and transect starts and ends, including those representing the site in the SITE table.
Note: Coordinates not collected in 1999 for site revisits at Sites 35 (Original site #1, Lower River Campground), 62 (original site #15, Yosemite Lodge), 63 (original site #19, The Ahwahnee hotel), so no entries for these sites in ALL_SURVEY_COORDS table. Coordinates were collected in 1999 at site 47 (original site #16, Big Oak Flat Road).
ID: Autonumber
SITENUM: Site number chronologically assigned
SITE_ LOCATION: Place-name location
COORD_LOC: Used if more precise place name recorded for coordinate set
UTMX_NAD83: PointX/East coordinate in North America Datum of 1983 derived from original coordinate recorded in NAD1927
UTMY_NAD83: PointY/North coordinate in North America Datum of 1983 derived from original coordinate recorded in NAD1927
UTMX_NAD27: Original Point_X/East coordinate in NAD1927 datum obtained from GPS or USGS 7.5-minute quadrangle and converted to NAD1983 datum in ArcGIS 10.5
UTMY_NAD27: Original Point_Y/North coordinate in NAD1927 datum obtained from GPS or USGS 7.5-minute quadrangle and converted to NAD1983 datum in ArcGIS 10.5
COORD_PRECISION_M: GPS-calculated estimate of UTM coordinate precision reported by GPS unit and based on clustering of multiple point locations
ELEV_FT: Elevation in feet
COORD_DESCRIP: Point for area = a single coordinate, whether from a USGS quadrangle or from a GPS to be used to represent the survey site; Perimeter point = a UTM coordinate along the perimeter of the survey area; Survey start = coordinate for the beginning point of the survey; In route = a coordinate along the route of the survey; Survey end = coordinate for the end point of the survey; Bend in baseline = coordinate of where survey baseline changed direction; Stock trailhead = beginning of a stock trail
UTMSOURCE: GPS = UTM coordinates obtained from Global Positioning System receiver in the field; USGS_QUAD = UTM coordinates obtained from 7.5-minute USGS quadrangle map
WP: Waypoint number from GPS if applicable
SITE_UTM: Logical field to indicate whether coordinate used to represent site in the SITE table; 1 = Yes, 2 = No.
SURVEY_TYPE: Area = surveys ("patch types") not along a road or trail; Linear = Road and Trail surveys ("patch types")


Table: tblAccessioned_Plant_Specimens
Table contents: Collection, determination, and accession information for specimens collected in Yosemite NP during non-native plant surveys in 1998 and 1999 with format designed to meet requirements of National Park Service curatorial office.
VoucherRecordID: Record identifying number assigned by the National Park Service museum curatorial staff at Yosemite National Park
ParkCode: YOSE for Yosemite National Park; used for all entries in table by time of completion; SEKI would be for Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks
TSN: The Taxonomic Serial Number for taxon in Jepson (Hickman 1993) nomenclature from the Integrated Taxonomic Information System (www.itis.gov)
ParkAdminUnit: Not used
Sensitivity: Not used
DocLatinName: Scientific name determined along with authority
Date: MM/DD/YYYY
Time: Not used in this project
Observer: Full name of collector
ObserverNumber: Collector's collection number; each of the four collectors in 1998 and 1999 used collector-specific number series: Aaron King the 1000 series in 1998, Melinda Schroeder the 1100 series in 1999, Bradley Jelinek the 2000 series in both years, Justin Adams the 3000 series in both years, and D. Graham Roy 4000 the series in both years
Habitat: Not used in this table
Elevation: Elevation of survey site
ElevationUnits: feet
SpecimenID: Sequential numbers assigned by the Yosemite Museum within accession number 6625
SpecimenLocation: Yosemite Herbarium used for entire accession
Location: Place name for survey location
LocalLocCode: Field not used
Latitude: Not used
Longitude: Not used
UtmX: Universal Transverse Mercator X coordinate
UtmY: Universal Transverse Mercator Y coordinate
UtmZone: All of Yosemite National Park falls within UTM Zone 11
Datum: NAD27 for North American Datum of 1927
LocationError: Precision, in meters, estimated by global positioning system receiver
DataSource: Not used by project for specimen submission to the Yosemite Museum (YM)
EnteredBy: Not used by project for specimen submission to the Yosemite Museum (YM)
EnteredDate: Not used by project for specimen submission to the Yosemite Museum (YM)
Comments: Not used by project for specimen submission to the Yosemite Museum (YM)
GraphicLinkID: Not used by project for specimen submission to the Yosemite Museum (YM)
JepsonTSN: The Taxonomic Serial Number for taxon in Jepson (Hickman 1993) nomenclature from the Integrated Taxonomic Information System (www.itis.gov)
Jepson Manual Comments: 
TRS: Township, Range, Section of the Public Land Survey System; not used for this project
County: Not used
Location Status: Not used
Accession Number: The Yosemite Museum assigned a single number, 6625, to the accession of Yosemite specimens from 1998 and 1999.
Original Date: Not used
Type: Not used


Table: TRAIL_USE_LEVEL
Table contents: Trail use intensity in three categories by site number
ID: Autonumber primary field
SITENUM: Site number
USE: Use intensity as low (0-50 people/year and/or 3-10 pack animals/day), med (51-1100 people/year and/or 11-25 pack animals/day), or high (1101-6900 people/year and/or >25 pack animals/day) based on data from Wilderness Office, Yosemite National Park.


Table: TRANSECT_LENGTH_1998 (for 1998 only)
Sitenum: Site number
Transect: Transect number
Length: Length of transect, in meters, along which quadrats were randomly placed for ground cover estimates by species


Table: USGSQuad
MAPNAME: Name of USGS 7.5-minute quadrangle map
YOSE_QUAD: Code as four letters plus '7' to indicate 7.5 minute quadrangle
CNPS_QUAD:  California Native Plant Society code for 7.5-minute quadrangle
NDDB_QUAD: California Natural Diversity Database code for 7.5-minute quadrangle
PUB_DATE: Year of quadrangle publication


Table:  JFLORA
Table contents: Coded list of vascular plant taxa for Yosemite National Park using Hickman 1993 nomenclature.
JCODE: Species code for taxon according to the following nomenclature: Hickman, J. C. 1993. The Jepson manual: higher plants of California. University of California Press, Berkeley.
JGENUS: Genus
JSPECIES: Specific epithet
JSPAUTH: Authority
JRANK: Infra-specific rank (ssp., var., etc.)
JSSP: Infra-specific epithet
JSSPAUTH: Infra-specific authority
JFAMILY: Taxonomic family
COMMENTS: Taxonomic comments
JNATIVE: -1 = native; 0 = non-native to California
NAMECHANGE: Indicates whether name changed since previous version
JTRINOMIAL: Full scientific name including authority
SPACE: For use in formatting output
JSCINAME: Full scientific name excluding authority according to the nomenclature of Hickamn 1993
OLD_CODE: A species code previously used in the same system, typically prior to a name change


Table:  VOLUNT
Table contents: Counts by species collected by volunteers doing mechanical control (hand pulling, string trimmers) under the direction of National Park Service staff
ID: Record identification
LOCATION: Place name
DATE: mm/dd/yyyy
COMMON: Common name of species
SPAB: Two letter species abbreviation
SPECIES: Scientific name of species
PULLED: Number of plants manually removed
OBSERVER: Last name of reporter