Alabama is one of the most biologically diverse states in the United States. This diversity is a product of Alabama's warm, moist climate, its vast geologic diversity, and its rich evolutionary past. With more than 4,533 documented species, Alabama ranks fifth among states in terms of overall species diversity, and is first among states east of the Mississippi River.

Southern Alabama ecosystems contain unique and varied plant communities. From the hyper-diverse groundcover layer of the pine savannahs to the species-rich coastal marshes, and everything in between our senior ecologist and team of biologists are well-versed in identifying Alabama's large variety of plant species. Plant communities are the foundation for most terrestrial ecosystems, and changes in vegetation can serve as important indicators of widespread transformation.  Therefore, monitoring this plant diversity is a high priority for our ecosystems, and will provide useful information for their future success.

 

Vegetation monitoring will:

• Document forest conditions in the study areas at the beginning of the project,
• Identify changes over time in the species composition, abundance, size and distribution of vegetation in the study,
• Evaluate existing, and potentially develop new, vegetation-based measures of impact on vegetation, 
• Evaluate the response of understory vegetation