METHODS 



This study represents a revisit of three Cirsium lonqistylum 

 monitoring plots established in July of 1990 (reported in 

 Appendix B of Schassberger 1991; also reported in Section G of 

 Schassberger and Achuff 1991.) and revisit of one Cirsium 

 lonqistylum monitoring plot established in July of 1989 (Phillips 

 1989) with recording of monitoring data initiated in August of 

 1990 (Phillips 1990, Field and Lovelace 1991, Phillips 1992). 

 This study is treated as though it were an initial establishment 

 of a monitoring study because of the expanded monitoring 

 purposes, the incorporation of the monitoring plot established by 

 the U.S. Forest Service, additional baseline data collection and 

 modifications in design. 



Demographic monitoring 



Circular plots had originally been established at three 

 monitoring sites by Montana Natural Heritage Program in 1990 

 (Schassberger 1991) . They served their purpose for 

 characterizing demographic profile over time. However, accurate 

 recording and relocation of juvenile stage plants in the circular 

 plot had proven difficult in high density situations (Poole and 

 Heidel 1992) . The author discussed experimental design with 

 previous authors and made advance site visits to compare circular 

 with permanent belt transect plots as described by Lesica (1986) . 

 The latter provided both greater accuracy in mapping the 

 locations of individuals, and a more methodical approach to 

 locating seedlings and rosettes by training the eye across each 

 square decimeter of the belt. 



A belt transect of 69.3 ft (ca. 11 m) was established at Kings 

 Hill by the Lewis and Clark National Forest in 1989 for 

 monitoring Cirsium lonqistylum local trends as well as weevil 

 impact; first read in 1991. Individuals were tallied along the 

 belt in alternate eleven 1 x 1 m square subplots. This served 

 for characterizing local trends in the juvenile class. However, 

 it did not map individuals for determining life history, and may 

 have been too small an area for tracking trends in flowering 

 plant numbers. 



The four permanent plots were read between August 9-11; 

 individual plants were mapped in a continuous series of 1 m x 1 m 

 plots within a gridded frame, placed along the belt transects. 

 In addition, groundcover was estimated for each subplot 

 consistent with ecodata sampling (classes: soil, gravel, litter, 

 moss+lichen, basal vegetation) . 



The circular plots were originally marked at their center by a 

 piece of rebar ca. 4 ft. long and painted bright orange, driven 

 to a depth of 2 ft. Radii ranged from 15-37 ft. depending on 

 density of Cirsium lonqistylum . These original circular plots 

 were the ones for which flowering individuals were tallied in 



