Floristic quality assessment for Fisher Family Nature Preserve, Emmet County, Michigan

Abstract

A considerable portion of the native habitat of Michigan has been destroyed by development. Disturbances such as agriculture, logging, and urban sprawl have played a key role in the modification of Michigan’s landscape over the last two centuries. This process of land alteration has greatly reduced the number of ecologically diverse habitats within the state, and the protection of these areas is crucial to the survival of many native species. Given the constraints of conserving all remaining native habitats, protected areas must be thoughtfully managed such that they represent a diversity of flora and fauna. One area of interest is the Fisher Family Nature Preserve in Emmet County, Michigan. The Fisher preserve contains upland forest, a steep beach bluff, and a sandy low beach ridge/shoreline. In order to assess the floristic quality of the preserve, we used the Floristic Quality Assessment methodology, proposed by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources. Using this calculation, the Floristic Quality Index (FQI) of the Fisher Family Preserve is 43.28 without adventive species and 40.72 including such species. This FQI value designates the Fisher Family Preserve as a site that hosts high quality native plants. This information is important for the continued management and protection of the Fisher Preserve, given that it is one of a small number of protected sites along the Lake Michigan shoreline.