The vital sign selection process of the NPS Inventory and Monitoring Program (I&M) identified forest vegetation monitoring as a critical need for the parks of the National Capital Region Network (NCRN). The data collected using this protocol will provide much needed baseline information on the forests in the NCRN, particularly in terms of community structure and composition. The information will also be used to determine long term trends in community composition, and in the abundance and distribution of individual species.