US Army Corp of Engineers
Water & Air Research, Inc. (Water & Air) is providing ecological and hydrological monitoring services for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) as part of the Picayune Strand Restoration Project (PSRP) in Collier County, Florida. The project supports long-term monitoring of red-cockaded woodpecker (RCW) habitat within Picayune Strand State Forest. As restoration activities restore natural water flow to the landscape, changes in water levels and the duration of seasonal flooding may affect pine tree health and the suitability of habitat for this threatened species.
Water & Air’s work on this project includes installing and monitoring five shallow groundwater wells to measure groundwater and surface water levels within the study area. The team is also establishing 42 pine tree monitoring plots, encompassing 840 individual trees, and 84 nested vegetation plots located within RCW habitat areas. These monitoring locations provide a framework for evaluating changes in hydrologic conditions, pine health, and vegetation communities over time.
Our field monitoring efforts include evaluating pine tree growth and condition, documenting signs of stress or mortality, and assessing vegetation structure and groundcover. Within the vegetation plots, Water & Air records pine sapling abundance, cabbage palm and saw palmetto coverage, midstory vegetation, and dominant herbaceous groundcover species. Hydrologic data are collected and evaluated alongside vegetation observations to examine potential relationships between water levels, flooding duration, and changes in pine condition and habitat characteristics.
Water & Air is compiling monitoring data to support ongoing evaluation of the effects of restoration-related hydrologic changes on RCW habitat. The project includes analysis of groundwater and surface water conditions, pine tree health, and vegetation characteristics, with comparisons across monitoring locations to help identify potential impacts associated with increased inundation. Water & Air will provide monitoring data, statistical analysis, and annual technical reports to USACE to support long-term assessment and management of the restoration project and its surrounding habitat.