Climbers Leave Rare Plants' Genetic Variation on the Rocks

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healyje

Trad climber
Portland, Oregon
Topic Author's Original Post - May 4, 2011 - 01:49am PT
ScienceDaily (May 3, 2011) — Rock climbers are having a negative impact on rare cliff-dwelling plants, ecologists have found. Writing in the British Ecological Society's Journal of Applied Ecology they say that in areas popular with climbers, conservation management plans should be drawn up so that some cliffs are protected from climbers.

...

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/05/110503203822.htm

Mighty Hiker

climber
Vancouver, B.C.
May 4, 2011 - 01:53am PT
This has also been an issue in Ontario on the Niagara Escarpement, where in some locations climbing was affecting small but very old trees. Hopefully someone from back east can add to this.
Frogjamm

Trad climber
San Francisco
May 4, 2011 - 03:12am PT
I've heard that when boulderers brush moss of a boulder it can negatively affect the moss. And when hikers create trails they impact the vegetation.

Seriously, I'm all for preserving biodiversity, but this sounds like
a) nitpicking
and
b) a pretty damn uninteresting study.
couchmaster

climber
pdx
May 4, 2011 - 10:17am PT
There is a semi remote cliff near here that has the center routes all closed for some plants that grow out of the cracks.
seth kovar

climber
Reno, NV
May 4, 2011 - 10:54am PT
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Does he ever?
Ed Hartouni

Trad climber
Livermore, CA
May 4, 2011 - 11:51am PT
here is a BES press release on the article healyje linked above:
http://www.britishecologicalsociety.org/about_bes/press/press_releases/climbing.php

Ed Hartouni

Trad climber
Livermore, CA
May 4, 2011 - 05:23pm PT
here is the summary from the article:

1. Rock climbing enjoys enormous popularity world-wide. As a consequence, the anthropogenic pressure on the vegetation of formerly undisturbed cliff ecosystems is continuously increasing.

2. The impact of rock climbing on population structure and genetic variation of the rare plant species Draba aizoides was investigated representatively for many other typical central European cliff plants. Populations from eight climbed and from eight pristine cliffs were compared through the use of vertical transect analyses and molecular markers.

3. Population structure differed between climbed and pristine cliffs. Individuals of D. aizoides were significantly smaller and less frequent on climbed compared with pristine cliffs. On plateau sites, the species’ occurrence was unaffected by climbing activities; it was significantly less frequent on the faces, but more frequent on the tali of climbed in comparison with pristine cliffs.

4. Genetic variation was greater in populations from climbed compared with pristine cliffs, and genetic differentiation was stronger between subpopulations from pristine cliffs than between subpopulations from climbed cliffs.

5. Synthesis and applications. Rock climbing clearly affects population structure and genetic variation of D. aizoides. Seed dispersal is presumably enhanced by rock climbers but climbers remove and drop plant individuals from cliff faces, which causes a downward shift in population structure. This shift in turn reduces genetic differentiation between upper and lower subpopulations. In mountain regions that attract sport climbing, conservation management plans should therefore always ensure the provision of completely unclimbed cliffs to protect the native vegetation.
Mighty Hiker

climber
Vancouver, B.C.
May 4, 2011 - 05:40pm PT
Sometime in the 1980s, long before the Squamish Chief became a park. Climber hikes up to the base of the Grand Wall, hears a chainsaw, when he gets there finds another climber who he knows has just felled a fairly large tree that used to be right at the base of The Flake.

#1: "Why'd you cut down that tree? It must have been at least 300 years old!"

#2: "Nah, it wasn't a day over 200."

(Story related by someone who was there - not me.)
sempervirens

climber
May 5, 2011 - 12:46am PT
I'll agree with the common sense approach.

The study might be boring and mundane to many. But it can inform us. And why not be informed before climbing, or especially before cleaning. We either do the climb or we don't. You can't decide not to decide. So how 'bout get some info before deciding. Then maybe we could climb in a different way: at a different time, or go around a small plant, or affect only one of 100 individuals, ....

IMHO, we should find out what plants we're killing before we clean them. At least figure out their name. Some plants reproduce very rarely, would you want to kill one of those?

The issue of rare plants on climbs has come up before on this forum. But it seems to die quickly.
tom Carter

Social climber
May 5, 2011 - 01:00am PT
Thanks Tami.

Common sense makes sense.
Captain...or Skully

climber
or some such
May 5, 2011 - 01:09am PT
Agreed, sempervirens.
Knowledge is power. The power to spare and nurture is great, also.
Ed Hartouni

Trad climber
Livermore, CA
May 5, 2011 - 02:18am PT
http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/schweiz/novh/2007/00000085/F0020003/art00012

Effect of rock climbing on the calcicolous lichen community of limestone cliffs in the northern Swiss Jura Mountains
Authors: Baur, Bruno; Fröberg, Lars; Müller, Stefan W.
Source: Nova Hedwigia, Volume 85, Numbers 3-4, November 2007 , pp. 429-444(16)

Abstract:
Exposed limestone cliffs in the Swiss Jura Mountains harbour a diverse lichen community with some rare species. Sport climbing has recently increased in popularity on these cliffs. We examined the effect of sport climbing on calcicolous lichens by assessing species diversity and cover of lichens in climbed and unclimbed areas of 10 isolated cliffs in the northern Swiss Jura Mountains. We also investigated possible associations between lichens and lichen-feeding land snails on these cliffs. A total of 38 calcicolous lichen species, three bryophytes and one alga were found on the rock faces of 10 cliffs. Twenty lichen species (52.6%) were epilithic, 16(42.1%) endolithic and two (5.3%) foliose. Overall, the epilithic lichen species covered 8.3% of the rock surface, endolithic species 10.2%, and foliose species 0.03%. Climbed and unclimbed rock areas did not differ in total number of lichen species, species density (number of species per 100 cm2) or total lichen cover. However, the frequency of occurrence of epilithic lichens was lower along climbing routes than in unclimbed areas. A multi-response permutation test showed that the lichen community composition of climbed areas differed from that of unclimbed areas. The dissimilarity of lichen communities between climbed and unclimbed areas increased with increasing climbing intensity on the focal route in climbed areas, but not with the age of the climbing route. Five of the 11 snail species recorded on the cliff faces were specialized lichen feeders. Plots along climbing routes harboured fewer snail species than plots in unclimbed areas. Total snail abundance was positively correlated with lichen species richness, but no correlation between snail species richness and lichen species richness was found. Our results indicate that frequent rock climbing can change the lichen community and reduce the snail community of limestone cliffs. A climbing-related reduction of snail abundance may also alter the lichen-herbivore interaction and indirectly change competitive interactions among lichen species.
Ed Hartouni

Trad climber
Livermore, CA
May 5, 2011 - 02:24am PT
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1523-1739.2006.00367.x/full

Influences of Microhabitat Constraints and Rock-Climbing Disturbance on Cliff-Face Vegetation Communities
KATHRYN LYNNE KUNTZ, DOUGLAS W. LARSON

Conservation Biology Volume 20, Issue 3, pages 821–832, June 2006

Abstract: Many researchers report that rock climbing has significant negative effects on cliff biota. Most work on climbing disturbance, however, has not controlled for variation in microsite characteristics when comparing areas with and without climbing presence. Additionally, some researchers do not identify the style or difficulty level of climbing routes sampled or select climbing routes that do not represent current trends in the sport. We solved these problems by sampling climbing areas used by advanced “sport” climbers and quantifying differences in microtopography between climbed and control cliffs. We determined whether differences in vegetation existed between pristine and sport-climbed cliff faces when microsite factors were not controlled. We then determined the relative influence of the presence of climbing, cliff-face microtopography, local physical factors, and regional geography on the richness, abundance, and community composition of cliff-face vascular plants, bryophytes, and lichens. When we did not control for microsite differences among cliffs, our results were consistent with the majority of prior work on impacts of climbing (i.e., sport-climbed cliff faces supported a lower mean richness of vascular plants and bryophytes and significantly different frequencies of individual species when compared with pristine cliff faces). When we investigated the relative influences of microtopography and climbing disturbance, however, the differences in vegetation were not related to climbing disturbance but rather to the selection by sport climbers of cliff faces with microsite characteristics that support less vegetation. Climbed sites had not diverged toward a separate vegetation community; instead, they supported a subset of the species found on pristine cliff faces. Prior management recommendations to restrict development of new climbing routes should be reevaluated based on our results.
apogee

climber
May 5, 2011 - 02:34am PT
"...but this sounds like
a) nitpicking
and
b) a pretty damn uninteresting study."


I betcha someone with a strong anti-climbing agenda in your preferred local climbing area will find it very interesting.
Ed Hartouni

Trad climber
Livermore, CA
May 5, 2011 - 02:41am PT
http://www.stat.duke.edu/courses/Fall02/sta240/THmidt.dir/rockclimb.pdf

Effects of Rock Climbing on Cliff Plant Communities at Joshua Tree National Park, California
Richard J. Camp, Richard L. Knight

Conservation Biology, Volume 12, Issue 6 (Dec., 1998), 1302-1306.

Abstract: We compared the plant communities on cliffs used for rock climbing with cliffs not used for climbing. Eighteen cliffs in Joshua Tree National Park, California (six each with no climbing, moderate climbing, and intensive climbing) were sampled for plant diversity and community structure. Plants were sampled on cliff faces and at the base of cliffs. The dominant taxa were Quercus cornelius-mulleri, Ericameria cuneata var. cuneata, and Bromus madritensis ssp. rubens. Plant species richness on cliff faces and at the base of cliffs was greater for cliffs with no evidence of climbing and lowest for cliffs with intensive use. Numbers of individual plants decreased with increased climbing use. Trees, shrubs, forbs, and cacti had greater relative abundances on cliffs without climbing than on cliffs with climbing. Plant cover on cliff faces decreased with increased climbing use. Adaptive management will be necessary to minimize the deleterious effects of rock climbing on plant communities associated with cliffs.


concluding paragraph

In order for Joshua Tree National Park to maintain intact cliff plant communities, management actions need to be developed and implemented to manage for climbing effects. Closures or controlled access to areas where climbing has not occurred would prevent additional loss and alteration of cliff plant communities. This is particularly important because climbing activities usually occur near campgrounds or access points (parking lots or road pull-offs). Recreational activities may be controlled or their effects limited by temporal closures of cliffs during critical seasons (spring green-up or flowering periods) and by spatial closures (permanent trail systems to focus disturbances, thus halting the spread of trampling). Through monitoring programs and control sites (cliffs without evidence of climbing) a baseline may be produced to assess the amount of change occurring at climbed cliffs. Controlling the behavior of recreationists is best achieved when individuals realize how their actions may alter a region's native biological diversity. By using the authority of the resource, rather than difficult- to-enforce restrictions, land-management agencies may see increased compliance by concerned recreationists.

Mighty Hiker

climber
Vancouver, B.C.
May 5, 2011 - 02:42am PT
It isn't hard for those with an agenda, or lack of information, to claim that climbers are damaging the environment. Pretty hard to disprove.
Ed Hartouni

Trad climber
Livermore, CA
May 5, 2011 - 03:01am PT
http://www.wilderness.net/library/documents/science1999/Volume5/Leung_5-4.pdf

Recreation Impacts and Management in Wilderness: A State-of-Knowledge Review
Yu-Fai Leung
Jeffrey L. Marion

USDA Forest Service Proceedings RMRS-P-15-VOL-5. 2000

Abstract—This paper reviews the body of literature on recreation resource impacts and their management in the United States, with a primary focus on research within designated wildernesses during the past 15 years since the previous review (Cole 1987b). Recreation impacts have become a salient issue among wilderness scientists, managers and advocates alike. Studies of recreation impacts, referred to as recreation ecology, have expanded and diversified. Research has shifted its focus more towards questions driven by wilderness and park planning frameworks such the Limits of Acceptable Change and the Visitor Experience and Resource Protection. This paper begins by providing an overview of recreation impacts and their significance in wilderness, followed by a review of research approaches and methods. Major findings from recent studies are summarized. The contribution of this knowledge base to management decisionmaking and practices is examined. The paper concludes with a discussion of major knowledge gaps and suggested areas for future research.


Climbing—Rock climbing is rapidly growing in popularity. Potential climbing-related impacts, including trail creation and use in steep approach areas, cleaning of vegetation and lichens from cliff faces, and use of protective hardware such as expansion bolts, have received little research attention until recently (Attarian and Pyke 2000). Earlier studies focused primarily on the proliferation of social trails and trampling of climbers in the access zone at the base of cliffs (Genetti and Zenone 1987). More recent studies have turned their attention to the cliff plant and wildlife communities on the vertical climbing zone. In Joshua Tree National Park of California, cliffs used intensively for climbing were found to have the lowest richness of cliff plant communities, and the number of individual plants and plant cover decreased with increased level of use (Camp and Knight 1998). Other studies in nonwilderness areas also found significant impact on vegetation and microflora (Nuzzo 1995; Nuzzo 1996).
Ed Hartouni

Trad climber
Livermore, CA
May 5, 2011 - 03:15am PT
http://www.geo.wvu.edu/~pclark/Articles/McMillan%202002-%20effects%20of%20rock%20climbing%20on%20veg..pdf

Effects of Rock Climbing on the Vegetation of the Niagara Escarpment in Southern Ontario, Canada

Michele A. McMillian, Douglas W. Larson

Conservation Biology Vol. 16, 389, 2002

Abstract: The cliffs of the Niagara Escarpment support unique and diverse plant communities. Although recreational rock climbing has become extremely popular in North America over the past two decades, little is known about the effect of this sport on the natural biota. We examined the ecological effects of rock climbing on vascular plant, bryophyte, and lichen communities along the Niagara Escarpment in southern Ontario. We made comparisons among randomly selected climbed and unclimbed rock outcrops by sampling from three positions: plateau (or cliff edge), cliff face, and talus (or cliff base). Density, percent cover, species richness, and species diversity of vascular plants were lower on climbed outcrops than on unclimbed outcrops. In addition, the proportion of alien plants was three times greater in climbed areas than unclimbed areas. The frequency and richness of bryophyte species were also significantly lower in climbed areas. The frequency of lichens was the same on climbed and unclimbed cliffs, but species richness was significantly lower in climbed areas, and community composition differed between climbed and unclimbed areas. Our results suggest that rock climbing has significant negative effects on all aspects of vegetative community on cliffs. Therefore we recommend that conservation plans be modified to include specific policies regarding recreational rock climbing for lands containing exposed cliffs. For example, we suggest that the establishment of new climbing routes be banned in protected areas along the Niagara Escarpment.
Ed Hartouni

Trad climber
Livermore, CA
May 5, 2011 - 03:41am PT
http://www.env.gov.bc.ca/wld/documents/ie06richardsonh.pdf

Threats Posed by Rock-Climbers to Birds Nesting on Cliffs in the South Okanagan
Howard Richardson

Proceedings of a Conference on the Biology and Management of Species and Habitats at Risk, Kamloops, B.C., 15 - 19 Feb.,1999.

ABSTRACT
An explosive growth in the sport of rock-climbing has brought previously isolated, cliff-dwelling species into close contact with humans. Skaha Bluffs in the South Okanagan Valley, B.C. is now a major rock-climbing destination and home to at least 13 Red- and Blue-listed species. Of these, by far the most visible is the white-throated swift (Aeronautes saxitalis). Peak use of this area by both swifts and climbers is April to September. Most of the swifts’ nests are on cliffs little used by climbers, who also prefer to climb on open faces rather than the cracks frequented by swifts. There was no detectable difference in the proportion of successful nests on cliffs used by climbers compared to unused cliffs. Nor was there any decrease over the course of the study in the total number of nesting swifts in Skaha Bluffs, or a move from cliffs popular with climbers to unvisited ones. Canyon wrens (Catherpes mexicana) seem equally unaffected by the surrounding clamour. The swift population is larger than previously determined, scattered over a large number of cliffs in the Okanagan. About 10% of the valley’s nesting swifts are found in Skaha Bluffs. The same happy state of affairs may well not exist for other threatened species in the area. Climbers need to be involved in, and more aware of, potential problems and their resolution if climbing is to be a perennial part of the local, recreational scene.
Tony Bird

climber
Northridge, CA
May 5, 2011 - 10:17am PT
this one keeps me awake at night. but worry about GMOs being planted wholesale by industrial farmers and affecting the worldwide environment? sleep tight!
Ghost

climber
A long way from where I started
May 5, 2011 - 10:28am PT
this one keeps me awake at night. but worry about GMOs being planted wholesale by industrial farmers and affecting the worldwide environment? sleep tight!

My sentiments exactly. Climbing almost certainly has negative impacts. But to ban or restrict climbing while logging/mining/subdividing/paving goes on uninterrupted just below seems pretty stupid.
sempervirens

climber
May 5, 2011 - 11:15am PT
Tony and Ghost, some comparisons to other environmental and ecological issues can be useful. But IMO your comparisons to GMO's,logging and mining are not. They really are separate issues and policy makers would see your comments as a weak attempt to obfuscate (IMO again). They'd file your comments without bothering to laugh.

What would be your (or our) objective here? To find a way to deal with the issue or to find a reason to dismiss it. I doubt the National Park Service will dismiss the issue. How do you suppose a judge would consider your argument..."mining and logging are so bad that climbing is benign". The connection just isn't there.

No lack of information with Ed Hartouni around here. Thanks Ed.

Everything we do has an impact, often negative and positive at the same time. Ecological restoration has negative impacts; even conserving rare plants has an impact. Imagine you conduct an underburn to enhance the habitat, you might kill a few plants; or you collect some seeds to plant a new population but that reduces reproduction at the original site; or you might have to remove some trees to give a rare plant more light. I think you're getting my point. Which has been said above, "knowledge is power".
Ed Hartouni

Trad climber
Livermore, CA
May 5, 2011 - 12:07pm PT
healyje's OP got me started on a bibliography project I've been intending to execute for a while: creating a list of references from the scientific literature on cliff ecosystems. The set I'm posting here relate to climbing, but I'll expand it to include other studies not related to climber impact.

My idea was to start to understand the environment that we are a part of when we climb, and to begin the process of getting climbers to think about those places as special, unique biomes. I'm not advocating for a ban of climbing by law, but for an increased understanding leading to more appropriate conduct by the participants of our sport.

There are few things we can do to make things better by our individual action. Understanding the cliff ecosystems and modifying our behaviors just might be one of them.

An example of think globally and act locally.

Not considering how we could improve our own use of precious resources certainly raises serious questions about the legitimacy of our other environmental concerns.

More references to come later...
Brandon-

climber
Done With Tobacco
May 5, 2011 - 12:18pm PT
Thanks, Ed. That's a lot of selfless work.
Branscomb

Trad climber
Lander, WY
May 5, 2011 - 12:27pm PT
Apogee has a very good point about gov agencies using these reports as a pretext for more regulation of climbing.

I bet the people who have the attitude of 'so the f*#k what' about tiny plants on cliffs probably get totally worked about the disappearance of rain forests, like there isn't any equivalence when you stomp out a group of plants that have very specific ecological requirements living on cliffs vs chopping down a rain forest.

In view of these points, a possible tool for government to regulate as well as that ever-nebulous set of ideas about human responsibility to all the other critters that are here with us, it's a good idea to leave things as much as possible untouched.

Another point is that there are probably plants and little animals living on cliffs that have not been formally observed in a scientific manner. Kristi identified a rock plant on the dolomite in Sinks Canyon a few years ago that was not known to grow in this area. So, it's possible that by just ripping those things out wholesale, you're not only destroying these little micro-environments, but also taking away from knowledge about the habits of these little things.
Ghost

climber
A long way from where I started
May 5, 2011 - 12:39pm PT
But IMO your comparisons to GMO's,logging and mining are not. They really are separate issues and policy makers would see your comments as a weak attempt to obfuscate (IMO again). They'd file your comments without bothering to laugh.

I think you missed the point. I wasn't saying anything about arguing in front of judges, and I certainly wasn't obfuscating. What I was doing (and I expect this is true for Tony as well), was expressing frustration.

Why you thought I was presenting this as an argument to be put in front of policy makers is not clear.
Branscomb

Trad climber
Lander, WY
May 5, 2011 - 01:04pm PT
That's an interesting value judgement, that somehow the 'few' plants on a rock face are somehow not as important as the plants in a rain forest.

None of it is right, whether the egotistical gain of climbing or the economic gain of logging, but to somehow say that one is more important than the other, only leads to a rationalization that the destruction of what is considered of lesser importance is okay.

It's an easy way out of reponsibility. It's a common logical process used extensively in our civilization to rationalize the elimination of whatever is not convenient to our gratification.

And I'm not some f*#king saint myself, I have certainly wiped out one hell of a lot plants and animals cleaning new routes. I'm just saying that we need to analyze our thoughts on this and be more mindful in our actions in the future.
Mighty Hiker

climber
Vancouver, B.C.
May 5, 2011 - 01:32pm PT
It doesn't necessarily matter whether we think it's important, or not. Others do, or are at least sometimes able to persuade decision-makers that it's important.

Identifying and managing environmental impacts from climbing is going to be increasingly important, whether on vegetation, birds, from waste disposal, or otherwise. And managing expectations too.
Seamstress

Trad climber
Yacolt, WA
May 5, 2011 - 03:12pm PT
SOme of the studies out there are bad science.

Land managers often use bad science to keep the public off the land so they have less recreation to manage.

Case in point - the rare daisy that keeps part of Beacon Rock closed. We asked for information about the range of the daisy. Answer - unknown. We asked to get a picture/description and survey other formation in the Gorge to see if it was truly as rare as they thought. Answer - no. SO we don't know what it looks like and no one has looked at other formations to see if it is rare or quite common iin the Gorge.

There is also research that shows bolt anchors preserve cliff top vegetation. However, there is great reluctance for many land managers to use this as a tool for preserving the ancient junipers and other trees on cliffs.

I have no problem conserving the environment. I have a big problem with red herrings designed to keep me indoors.
Mighty Hiker

climber
Vancouver, B.C.
May 5, 2011 - 04:03pm PT
Bolt anchors as a tool for preserving ancient junipers... can you help me out here? I am having some difficulty envisioning how bolts can be used this way. Can you perhaps outline a scenario?

A tool primarily used on relatively short cliffs, which are fairly common. Those that are mostly one pitch climbs. The shrubberies are at or near the edge at the top of the cliff. The belay/rappel/lower anchors are placed a bit below that level, so that climbers don't disturb vegetation, rocks, soils etc at the top.
Ghost

climber
A long way from where I started
May 5, 2011 - 04:19pm PT
Bolt anchors as a tool for preserving ancient junipers... can you help me out here?


The juniper may not need bolts to protect it, but the trail from the juniper across the cliff-top, and back down to the base may.
Ed Hartouni

Trad climber
Livermore, CA
May 6, 2011 - 12:33am PT
http://www.geo.wvu.edu/~pclark/Articles/nuzzo1995_Effects%20of%20Rock%20Climbing%20on%20Cliff%20Goldenrod.pdf

Effects of Rock Climbing on Cliff Goldenrod (Solidago sciaphila Steele) in Northwest Illinois
VICTORIA A. NUZZO

American Midland Naturalist 133:229-241 (1995)

ABSTRACT.-Solidago sciaphila is an endemic goldenrod, restricted to dolomite or sandstone cliffs in and near the driftless region of the upper Midwest. A demographic study of 544 genets on currently climbed, previously climbed and unclimbed dolomitic cliffs in NW Illinois indicated that position on the cliff face was the most significant factor affecting growth. Seventy percent of all plants grew within 3 m of the cliff top, an area that comprised only 18% of the cliff face. Within the upper cliff zone, rock climbing significantly reduced Solidago density. Cliffs that were actively climbed had few genets in the upper 3 m, averaging 3.2/m², while unclimbed cliffs and cliffs not climbed for 2 yr supported 14.2/m² and 12.0/m², respectively. Basal area/m² and flowering ramet production/m² were significantly lower, and inflorescence length nonsignificantly lower, on currently climbed cliffs, due to the lower genet density. In the lower cliff zone (>3 m from the top) genet density was low (0.2-2.1/m²) on all cliffs, regardless of climbing intensity. On climbed cliffs > 50% of flowering ramets were broken, significantly more than the 15% broken on unclimbed cliffs. Broken flowering ramets produced 22% of total inflorescence length on the currently climbed cliffs (compared to <5% on unclimbed and previously climbed cliffs), resulting in total inflorescence production statistically similar to, but lower than, that on unclimbed and previously climbed cliffs. Two years after cessation of climbing, Solidago in the upper zone of the previously climbed cliffs had similarly high density, basal area, ramet production and inflorescence production as on unclimbed cliffs. Climbing appeared to skew the population structure, favoring survival of large flowering genets and inhibiting survival of smaller nonflowering genets. This difference largely disappeared on cliffs unclimbed for 2 yr. To protect Solidago sciaphila, it is necessary to protect the entire cliff face, with highest priority given to the upper 3 m.
R.B.

Big Wall climber
Land of the Lahar
May 6, 2011 - 12:50am PT
Studies are great, but don't compare them without all the facts.

One fact with vegetation is ... the direction or aspect of the cliff to the sun. Obviously a plant species that has an intolerance to shade will not do well in the shade and visa ve.
Ed Hartouni

Trad climber
Livermore, CA
May 6, 2011 - 01:03am PT
http://sev.lternet.edu/~jnekola/nekola%20pdf/jb-27-319-331.pdf

Evidence for the widespread occurrence of ancient forests on cliffs
D. W. Larson, U. Matthes, A. Gerrath, N. W. K. Larson, M. Gerrath, J. C. Nekola, G. L. Walker, S. Porembski and A. Charlton

Journal of Biogeography, 27, 319-331, 2000


Introduction
The conversion of natural self-regenerating forest into sites that provide goods and services for people (Vitousek, 1994) has been relentless over the past century. A high priority for ecologists and conservationists has been to find and protect sites that represent the best examples of ancient refuge ecological systems under natural controls (Whitney, 1987; Hunter, 1989). In North America work has been done to locate and protect the remaining stands of old-growth forest (Findley, 1990; Davis, 1996), especially ones with a very wide spectrum of age classes, and a consistent assemblage of associated understorey species. Similar projects have been carried out in Europe (Spencer & Kirby, 1992; Peterken, 1996; Wulf, 1997) and recent work using radiocarbon-dating methods have identified the location of ancient woodland in Amazonia (Chambers et al., 1998). One of the problems in the identification and protection of such forest is that the current search image for old-growth (or virgin) forest is dominated by visions of large diameter tall trees with a complex multilayered understorey (Stahle, 1996a, 1996b). Such forests exist in large tracts in the western parts of temperate North America (Findley, 1990), in many parts of tropical Central and South America (Villalba, 1990; Stahle & Cleaveland, 1993), and elsewhere as a small number of isolated stands (Peterken, 1996), but there is no ecological reason why ancient woodland or forest should necessarily have this form. For example, it is well known from the work of Edmund Schulman (Schulman, 1954) that stunted and widely space bristlecone pine (Pinus tongaeva Bailey) occurs as a forest type at high altitudes in California & Nevada, U.S.A. and Stahle & Chaney (1994) have shown that ancient stunted oak woodland in Arkansas (U.S.A.) only occurs in remote or rocky areas that deterred commercial exploitation of trees by people.

Recently it has been shown that some of the least disturbed and most temporally stable refuge woodlands in all of North America occur as stunted forests on vertical limestone cliffs of the Niagara Escarpment, southern Ontario, Canada (Larson & Kelly, 1991; Kelly et al., 1994; Larson & Melville, 1996; Kelly & Larson, 1997). As with other remnant stands of ancient forest, these areas were not exploited commercially by people. The cliff forests are dominated by Thuja occidentalis L. (eastern white cedar) that can reach 1890 years of age. The coarse woody debris in these cliff forests can persist for 4000 years or more (Larson & Melville, 1996). When trees are randomly sampled over large geographical scales smooth negative exponential age distributions typical of undisturbed old-growth forests have been found (Larson & Kelly, 1991; Kelly & Larson, 1997). Disturbance from humans is absent or very site specific despite the proximity of a densely populated industrial/agricultural landscape. Sporadic rockfall is the main natural disturbance but much of the rock is Silurian-aged dolomitic limestone and very stable. The understorey of such cliff forests has a disturbance-intolerant vegetation and faunal community that displays a large number of species that are either highly restricted to the cliffs, or completely endemic to them (Larson et al., 1989; Nuzzo, 1995; Matthes-Sears et al., 1997; Nekola, 1999). While these results confirm the prediction by Stahle & Chaney (1994) and Therrell & Stahle (1998) that unproductive rocky landscapes will support the best local examples of ancient forest, there have been few larger-scale tests of the hypothesis as it applies to cliffs. Larson et al. (1999) have recently presented evidence that age and growth rate frequency distributions were the same for trees on North American to European cliffs, but few additional details were provided in that work.

Here we present the results of an investigation that addresses the question 'To what degree do partly wooded cliffs in the temperate zone support ancient forest, and what habitat variables such as cliff height, rock type, aspect, and exposure influence the age and growth rate structures?'. To answer these questions, cliffs were visited and trees sampled in five countries. A cursory examination was also made of the local flora, the presence of seedling recruitment, coarse woody debris, and disturbance from human and livestock activities. The results were then compared with those already obtained for the cliffs of the Niagara Escarpment. We predicted that if cliffs generally support ancient woodland, then such sampling would reveal the same right-hand side of the negative exponential age distribution previously described for cliff forests of the Niagara Escarpment. We also predicted that such cliffs would support seedlings, saplings, and coarse woody debris of the same trees forming the forest.

.
.
.

The extent of ancient forests on cliffs
The results of the present research show that conventional ideas about the magnitude of remaining old-growth forest need to be modified. Despite the limited, nonrandom, and broad-scale sampling involved here when compared with the intensive sampling that we have done on the cliffs of the Niagara Escarpment (Larson & Kelly, 1991; Kelly et al., 1992, 1994; Kelly & Larson, 1997), the present results show features that are similar to what we have described before and very different from the surrounding level-ground forests that are commonly plantations in western Europe and second growth conifer or deciduous forest in North America. Old, exceptionally slow-growing, deformed, and widely spaced trees are found growing from cracks, crevices and solution pockets on most of the cliffs sampled. There is a common perception that aspect and shading have a large impact on the ecology of organisms that live on rock, but from these results we must conclude that cliff height, aspect, rock-type, and shading may have little influence on the age and growth-rate structure of these ancient woodlands. We must conclude that the ecologically important factor that governs the appearance of such forests is simply the presence of vertical rock that restricts fire and limits access by humans and their livestock. In the landscapes surrounding all of the cliffs sampled, intense human use, livestock grazing, and fire were evident and coarse woody debris was largely absent. In contrast, the cliffs showed no signs of human or animal use other than recreational rock climbing, no sign of fire, and an abundance of in situ coarse woody debris. In addition the vegetation community on the cliffs in different regions contains plants in many of the same genera, and even some individual species consistently recurred at many sites. We conclude that cliffs are refuge sites that support ancient forests in many temperate locations on the earth and this conclusion is consistent with the ideas of Davis (1951). Wardle (1991) and Ellenberg (1988) have observed that between 40 and 60% of the remaining endemic taxa in New Zealand and central Europe, respectively, are restricted to refuge sites on steep slopes or cliffs, and our results add significantly to these conclusions by showing precisely how old and undisturbed some of these sites can be.

Ed Hartouni

Trad climber
Livermore, CA
May 6, 2011 - 01:11am PT
R.B. did you read what was posted? I think most of these studies take into account various factors, e.g. the last post above...

"...There is a common perception that aspect and shading have a large impact on the ecology of organisms that live on rock, but from these results we must conclude that cliff height, aspect, rock-type, and shading may have little influence on the age and growth-rate structure of these ancient woodlands. We must conclude that the ecologically important factor that governs the appearance of such forests is simply the presence of vertical rock that restricts fire and limits access by humans and their livestock...
"

I know it is a lot to ask of you all to actually read the whole thing...
Ed Hartouni

Trad climber
Livermore, CA
May 6, 2011 - 01:21am PT
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1046/j.1523-1739.1997.96248.x/abstract

Effects of Rock Climbing on Populations of Presettlement Eastern White Cedar (Thuja occidentalis) on Cliffs of the Niagara Escarpment, Canada

P. E. Kelly, D. W. Larson

Conservation Biology Volume 11, Issue 5, pages 1125–1132, October 1997

Cliffs of the Niagara Escarpment support a self-sustaining presettlement forest of eastern white cedar (Thuja occidentalis L.) in which some trees are over 1000 years old. Many of the cliffs are also popular locations for recreational rock climbing. Our study employed a stratified random sampling design to assess the impact of rock climbing on populations of cliff-face and cliff-edge trees. Tree density and age structure were compared between four climbed and three unclimbed sites in the vicinity of Milton, Ontario. Signs of physical damage were also recorded for the trees sampled at each site. The results showed that living tree density on the cliff face was lower in climbed areas. The age structures of these forests showed that the numbers of older and younger age classes have been reduced on climbed cliff faces compared with unclimbed areas. A high percentage of trees on climbed cliff faces showed evidence of damage by humans. These trends were not as apparent on cliff edges where other disturbances have affected age structure. We recommend that cliff faces be explored for the presence of presettlement forest and that recreation managers of lands with exposed cliff faces incorporate rock climbing considerations into their management plans. Monitoring programs would help track levels of disturbance. Education of the climbing community would be the most effective long-term solution to limiting disturbance in sensitive areas.
Ed Hartouni

Trad climber
Livermore, CA
May 6, 2011 - 01:27am PT
http://www.geo.wvu.edu/~pclark/Articles/farris%20et%20al%201998%20part1.pdf

The effects of rock climbing on the vegetation of three Minnesota cliff systems
Michael A. Farris

Canadian Journal of Botany 76, 1981 (1998)

Abstract: I quantified the distribution and abundance of major plant taxa on three distinct cliff systems in Minnesota and examined the effects of recreational rock climbing on that vegetation. The three cliff systems differed significantly in the amount and type of vegetation present in undisturbed plots. Frequencies of most taxa were lower in climbed areas, although the differences were generally not significant. Total plant cover was significantly lower in climbed plots al all three locations. Fragile forms, such as umbilicate and fruticose lichens, were especially sensitive to human disturbance. The microtopography of the rock substrate had a significant impact on both the amount of vegetation present and the use of a cliff area by climbers. Cracks in the rock were significantly more common in climbed areas while ledges were less common. Microtopography also varied with the technical difficulty of the climbing route. While human impact decreased vegetation frequency and cover on these cliffs. identification of causal links between human disturbance and vegetation structure must include a careful assessment of the geological and environmental factors that strongly influence both human use and vegetation dynamics.
Ed Hartouni

Trad climber
Livermore, CA
May 6, 2011 - 01:35am PT
http://www.cabdirect.org/abstracts/20083180212.html;jsessionid=6791388C5F2F086AE34F5CF178D734B8

Effects of anthropogenic disturbance on the vegetation of granitic and gneissic rock outcrops ('inselbergs') in West Africa.

Porembski, S.

Nova Hedwigia, Beiheft 2007 No. 131 pp. 237-246

Abstract
Inselbergs are isolated rock outcrops frequently consisting of granite or gneiss, and are widespread on the old crystalline continental shields. Due to harsh environmental conditions (i.e. lack of soil and water, high temperatures) their vegetation is markedly different from that of their surroundings. Typical is a specific set of habitat types such as cryptogamic crusts, monocotyledonous mats, rock pools, ephemeral flush vegetation and these are characterized by a distinct species inventory. Throughout the tropical and temperate zones, negative human impacts on inselbergs have increased dramatically over the past decades. Of particular importance have been fire, quarrying and tourism, all of which have led to the complete destruction of numerous inselbergs in many parts of the world. In order to assess the consequences of human activities, a specific habitat (Afrotrilepis pilosa-mats) was compared on disturbed and relatively undisturbed inselbergs situated in the savanna zone of Ivory Coast over a period of 10 years. The data show considerable differences in both species and life-form composition of the flora. Disturbed inselbergs were characterized by higher species numbers and diversity, as well as by a larger percentage of annuals, whereas inselbergs-specific species became locally extinct. Increased species richness on disturbed inselbergs was due to weedy species which were able to become established following anthropogenic fires. Observations from other tropical regions indicate that most inselbergs-specific vegetation types are also highly sensitive to human disturbance and are particularly susceptible to weedy species.
Mighty Hiker

climber
Vancouver, B.C.
May 6, 2011 - 01:36am PT
Ed, have you sent this information to the Access Fund? Probably no news to them, but perhaps you've found something new, and in any case they might appreciate having it.
Ed Hartouni

Trad climber
Livermore, CA
May 6, 2011 - 01:42am PT
we humans have a very short life span compared to a tree that might have grown on some cliff for hundreds or maybe even a thousand years... for the most part we are unaware of this. Our actions with regard to the trees are different, I think, if we know the possibility that we are in the presence of an ancient being, then if we think that weedy pine is only 10 years old.

The trees are actually charismatic compared to the duff, and "weeds" that seem to grow around, or the lichen and moss... we don't think it so special, but we don't know.

All I do here is to start the process of thinking of the consequences of our actions, like cutting trees down. Squamish may be a unique place in that the old growth forests still exist, and the cliffs are not yet the last refuge of a long passed flora and fauna that they are in so many other places of the world. But in one sense, everywhere was like Squamish at some time in the past... what you have to ask is will it change?

Daphne

Trad climber
Mill Valley, CA
May 6, 2011 - 01:49am PT
Thanks Ed, really interesting.

Education of the climbing community would be the most effective long-term solution to limiting disturbance in sensitive areas.
Ed Hartouni

Trad climber
Livermore, CA
May 6, 2011 - 01:57am PT
article source

Changes between 1927 and 2004 and effect of rock climbing on occurrence of Saxifraga paniculata and Draba aizoides, two glacial relicts on limestone cliffs of the Swabian Jura, southern Germany

A. Wezel

Journal for Nature Conservation Volume 15, Issue 2, 13 July 2007, Pages 84-93

Summary
A number of glacial relicts can be found on limestone cliffs of the Swabian Jura in southern Germany. In general, they are rare and endangered, particular on cliffs where rock climbing is allowed. Two glacial relicts, Saxifraga paniculata Mill. and Draba aizoides L., were quantitatively surveyed on 28 cliffs in 2004 to investigate their occurrence compared to former surveys and to analyse the effect of rock climbing on species abundance. Number of cushions per cliff and number of rosettes per cushion were counted, smallest and largest diameter of cushions and rosettes, as well as aspect and inclination were also measured. S. paniculata was found on 75% and D. aizoides on 30% of the cliffs. Up to 150 S. paniculata and 370 D. aizoides cushions were noted per cliff, in total there were 696 S. paniculata and 705 D. aizoides cushions. In cliff areas where rock climbing takes place, S. paniculata was only located in relatively uninfluenced parts of the cliffs. In contrast, D. aizoides was found with at a significantly higher frequency on climbed cliffs, and surprisingly, also at the foot of the cliffs, which means that climbing activities even increased numbers of D. aizoides. Rosettes might have been cut of by trampling and climbing and fell to positions where they established new cushions at the base of the cliff. Compared to earlier studies in 1927 and 1966, a higher number of cliffs containing both glacial relicts were found. It can be assumed that not all cliffs had been surveyed in the past and that cliffs were not surveyed as completely as possible. The former locations were confirmed except for one cliff where D. aizoides did not exist anymore. From the cliffs studied, D. aizoides and S. paniculata do not seem to be directly in danger of disappearance in the near future. Nevertheless, rock climbing or visits of hikers on certain cliffs can be a threat, in particular to S. paniculata. This study provides the groundwork for future quantitative monitoring of these two glacial relicts.
Ed Hartouni

Trad climber
Livermore, CA
May 6, 2011 - 11:38am PT
I've ordered the book:

Cliff Ecology – Patterns and Processes in Cliff Ecosystems Cambridge Studies in Ecology, ©2005 Cambridge University Press, ISBN-13 978-0521019217 by Douglas W. Larson, Uta Matthes and Peter E. Kelly...

I am also in the process of finding the report (it's at the UCBerkeley bio library):

The Effects of Rock Climbers on the Environment at Pinnacles National Monument, Monterey and San Benito Counties,
C. M. Genetti & P. G. Zenone
California. Technical Report No. 27. Davis, CA: USDI National Park Service, Cooperative Park Studies Unit, University of California at Davis, 1987

tom Carter

Social climber
May 6, 2011 - 11:48am PT
I remember John Hoffman trying to convince others that bolts at the top of some Donner rts actually help limit erosion. Many paths off the top occur when descent rts wander to avoid snow drifts, seasonal streams etc. Those junipers appreciate being left alone.a

Something akin to thatmalso happens with dogs seeking shade - so we have a greater impact than we think.

Thanks everyone.

TC
Ed Hartouni

Trad climber
Livermore, CA
Apr 19, 2013 - 10:21pm PT
in another thread Dingus McGee thought I was babbling on about something I didn't know, and proposed a hypothesis he refers to as "gradient."

That discussion on that thread was probably not a great place to discuss the environmental impact of climbers on cliff ecosystems, so I thought I'd bump this thread back up, which has a lot of references to the literature that I had read at the time.

I don't quite know what Dingus means by "gradients" so he could enlighten us here, more appropriately, as to his hypothesis. There are many interpretations. In one way, he speaks of the time gradient, that the plants "gardened" out of cracks are a more extreme insult to the cliff ecology than the damage that takes place on the faces...

the problem is that we don't actually know what the time gradient is.... for instance, natural environmental variations give rise to massive ecological destruction, think about the last ice age, and the vast domain of plants displaced by ice, say in Yosemite Valley which was filled to half it's current height with ice. What we see, in terms of the ecology, is the result of 12,000 years of natural recovery.

We don't know how quickly cliff ecologies form, when we clean out a crack how long does it take to fill the crack back in? This obviously depends on the specifics of the area, and the rate (a kind of gradient) might be characterized by the experiment done in many climbing areas, albeit inadvertently. For instance, on a relatively popular climb (for the 1960s) that have fallen into obscurity (take the Pohono Pinnacle, North Face) there is a considerable amount of regrowth, so much so that it appears to have been "recovered". It certainly climbs like a Valley FA in the wild parts of the cliff.

That is over a period of less than 50 years, where the past 40 years the climb had passed from the attention of climbers. There are still fixed pins, and other signs of passage.

What we don't know is what was lost, since there was no survey of plants or more generally, of the particular environment. This lack of knowledge pervades all of our thoughts on this matter as we cannot have a real discussion of climber impact without understanding what is being impacted, and what is "natural."

Cliff environments are harsh as rock fall can damage the vegetation naturally. The forces of running water in cracks also displaces rock, soil and plants, and the dynamics of the very environment itself, e.g. exfoliation events in granite cliff landscapes, can have major consequences.

In February of 2011 a large piece of Last Resort Cliff failed and took out the forest down to within about 200 yards of the road... no one noticed, it just looks like the landscape, and the park was closed when it happened so there are no witnesses. The total destruction is far in excess of climber activities on that cliff, and probably throughout the entire park for the history of climbing.

So when assessing climber impacts one has to keep in mind that such large events are not rare occurrences.

How quickly will that system recover? The advance of forests is well documented and has a specific rate... we learn from E.C.Pielou's After the Ice Age; The Return of Life to Glaciated North America that the rate of forestation is of order 100s of meters per year, for lodge pole pine in the west, 200 m per year, on average.

Now the forest gap that is represented by the Last Resort Cliff rock fall does not appear to be a fully mature forest 2 years after the rock fall, but it would be interesting to go back and look, with the eye of an ecologist, and not of a climber, and see what has happened in that time. Most likely, the forest won't look full for another 20 or 30 years, but the "gradient" is averaged over that time, much is happening even immediately after the "destruction" that is not apparent to our eyes.

We might have a fond memory of a particular tree on a particular climb, take the tree atop the 3rd pitch of Nut Cracker that recently died... it happened in a year that seemed to have had a lot of rock fall, lots of similar events over at Reed's Pinnacle area that winter. And while it would be easy to claim that climber's were the cause, it's not at all clear that that fatality wasn't a natural death.

We don't know the dynamics of the cliff ecologies, either, so we don't have a good idea of what the level of our impact is. I'm interested in Dingus' observations at Devil Tower, I am not aware of any scientific study of that cliff ecology but it would be very interesting if there were one.

The lack of knowledge is the very problem, however, with climber impacts. In particular, since we do not know what unique species exist in those settings, we actually cannot assess what we are taking when we put a route up. This is true in cracks and on faces. For the moment, we have not cleaned every surface of every cliff in any of the places we climb (at least I think not, but I do worry about Parkline Cliff). The cliff ecologies act as refuges from human activity in most places, and species that do not compete well in human determined settings might find a place to survive.

But these are not documented. Ecological studies, which are by nature multidisciplinary, are hard enough to conduct on level ground. Add the technical challenges of moving on a cliff, and the special conditions that are unique to the cliff environment (things fall, for instance) and it is not surprising that there are relatively few studies.

While we might actually be right in guessing that our activities do not affect the environment in a significant way, either absolutely or by "gradients", we do not know what, specifically, we have done. The admonishment here is that being mindful is the least we can do when we tread in those places.

I'm sure that Dingus McGee will consider this just so much "babbling," I am happy for him to contribute his wealth of practical knowledge to this topic. He is sure to have many explicit, well thought out examples of the workings of cliff ecologies from his vast experience in those settings over the years. With such input, and the input of others, some of them ecologists, it would be an interesting collaborative adventure piecing together a view of how this all works.
Peter Haan

Trad climber
Santa Cruz, CA
Apr 19, 2013 - 11:47pm PT
Terrific Eddie.

The gorilla in the living room is we do not need yet more routes on even more terrain such as these of which we are speaking, where clearing out large quantities of botanicals is required. We just don't.

We have tens of thousands of routes in The States, all over the place. Probably more even. And all this located in thousands of climbing areas. And to denude yet another cliff or clifflette for the purpose of our climbing, just isn't fair. We now know, these are refuge sites in many cases for ancient botany of all sorts.
Rocky IV

Social climber
Apr 20, 2013 - 01:26am PT
what is a lot more concerning to me than climber cleaning cliffs is agriculture in general. Planting a massive amount of the same species in an area drastically reduces the microbiological diversity. there are plant pathogens that spend most of their life cycle in the atmosphere, if you plant a singe crop in one area that creates a massive influx of one (or two) bacterial species that then goes into the atmosphere and gets carried somewhere else. perhaps we're disrupting the natural cycle of ice nucleating pseudomonas by planting hundreds of acres of one crop. who knows? agriculture could be affecting rain patterns all across the country.
Ed Hartouni

Trad climber
Livermore, CA
Apr 20, 2013 - 01:28am PT
human agricultural activities now put as much Nitrogen into the environment at nature does...
but that is another issue. We, as climbers, don't have to trash the very thing we love.
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