A Natural Areas Inventory of the - Kansas Natural Heritage Inventory ...

CHAPTER 6. SUMMARY
A two-year field study was initiated in 2002 on the Ft. Leavenworth Military Reservation as a
follow-up to research conducted there by the Kansas Biological Survey in 1995 and 1996
(Freeman et al. 1997). The project had four primary objectives. First, new surveys were
conducted to update information about biotic assemblages, outstanding natural areas, and
protected species. Natural communities identified during the first survey were re-evaluated to
document any significant changes in extent, structure, or species composition. Systematic
surveys were conducted for protected species known to occur on the installation and several other
species that potentially might use habitat there. Second, because some rare species and natural
communities are vulnerable to the spread of exotic species, threats from exotic plants were
identified. Third, locations of rare species, problematic exotic species, and outstanding natural
community occurrences were mapped in GIS for use by members of the natural resources staff at
FLMR. Fourth, based on the cumulative findings, management recommendations were
developed to assist resource managers with maintenance of the installation’s biodiversity assets.
Seven kinds of terrestrial natural communities were confirmed: four forest types (Maple-
Basswood Forest, White oak-Shagbark hickory Forest, Cottonwood-Sycamore Floodplain Forest,
and Pecan-Hackberry Floodplain Forest), one herbaceous type (Glaciated Tallgrass Prairie), and
two sparse vegetation types (Midwest Moist Limestone-Dolostone Cliff and Riverine Sand Flats-
Bars Sparse Vegetation). Riverine communities were not examined or evaluated in this study.
One occurrence each of the four forest types, first identified by Freeman et al. (1997), was
updated in KSNHI’s database of outstanding natural community occurrences. Detailed
information for other natural community occurrences was not gathered because these
communities are too small, too degraded, or too poorly known in the state to permit satisfactory
evaluation. The name of the Pecan-Hackberry Floodplain Forest, reported by Freeman et al.
(1997) as the Pecan-Sugarberry Floodplain Forest, was changed to reflect the co-dominance of
common hackberry, not sugarberry, in that community. A small, degraded remnant of Bulrush-
Catttail Marsh reported in Freeman et al. (1997) was found to have been destroyed due to
construction along the railroad on FLMR.
As reported earlier (Freeman et al. 1997), natural communities on FLMR are regionally or
globally significant. The floodplain forest is believed to be the largest old-growth stand
remaining in the lower Missouri River valley. Upland forests and smaller, associated natural
communities are regionally important. Collectively, these natural communities provide habitat
for globally-rare or state-rare species, and they support a rich biota representative of the forestgrassland
ecotone of central North America.
Visual analysis of the floodplain forests suggest significant changes have occurred since the
1995–1996 field seasons, probably the ongoing results of the 1993 flood. Analysis of plot data
from 1995–1996 and 2003 did not reveal statistically significant differences, perhaps due to the
inherent stability of dominant trees in the community and methodological differences that
affected the two data sets.
NATURAL AREAS INVENTORY OF FT. LEAVENWORTH II 120