National Park Service and USGS Biological Resources Division Vegetation Mapping Program

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National Park Service and USGS Biological
Resources Division Vegetation Mapping Program

• More than just a map

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NPS/USGS Vegetation Mapping Program

• Background
• Approach
• Products
• Present status
• Available data/Web site

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What is it?

• High priority requirement of the NPS IM Program
• National (Service Wide) Program
• Begins long term vegetation monitoring program
• Has many short term immediate applications

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NPS IM Program

• Base cartographic
• Soils
• Geology
• Vegetation
• Bibliographies
• Species lists
• Air quality
• Water quality

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NPS National Program

• Differs from other NPS vegetation mapping
  projects
• 270 park units (full park coverage)
• 4423 7.5 minute USGS quadrangles
• National scope
• Participation of multiple agencies
• Consistency in detail and accuracy between parks
• Produces digital products available on WWW
• Coordination at multiple levels

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Requirements

• Meet NPS overall management policies, standards
  and guidelines
• Conform to Federal Geographic Data Committee
  standards
• metadata, transfer, classification etc.
• Has a nationally consistent, hierarchical,
  classification scheme
• Meet National Map Accuracy Standards
• Thematic accuracy gt80 per class
• Scale of 124,000
• Minimum mapping unit of 0.5 hectare

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Major steps for each Park

• Scoping meeting
• Data review
• Data acquisition
• Field sampling
• Classification characterization
• Photo interpretation, mapping and automation
• Accuracy assessment
• Final product review

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Products from the program

• Aerial photography (hardcopy, some new DOQQs)
• Field data (hardcopy and database)
• Classification report (description and key)
• Photo interp report (description and key)
• Accuracy report
• Vegetation map data (digital coverage)

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FGDC National Vegetation Classification System

• A. PHYSIOGNOMY
  
  
• Division/Order - Tree dominant (dominant life
  form)
• Class - Woodland (spacing height of dominant
  form)
• Subclass - Evergreen woodland (morphological
  phenological similarity)
• Group - Temperate evergreen needle-leaved
  (climate, latitude, growth form, leaf form)
  
• Formation - Evergreen needle-leaved woodland with
  rounded crowns (mappable units)
• B. FLORISTICS
• Alliance (Cover Type) - Douglas Fir woodland
  (dominant species)
• Association (Community) - Douglas Fir / Snowberry
  woodland (subdominant or associated species)

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Mapping beyond the NVCS

• Species
• Structure
• Height classes
• Layers (tree, shrub, herbaceous)
• Density classes
• Pattern

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Present Status

• Approximately 79 projects in process
• 30 Parks started (1994-2000)
• 29 Park projects started in 2001
• 30 Parks completed
• more completed soon

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Status 2001
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Present Status cont
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Present Status cont
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Relationship with FIREPRO

• Fire Fuels Mapping
• Similar but not the same (ht to live crown, dead
  and down)
• Fire Effects Monitoring
• Similar but not the same (sampling techniques)

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New Models

• Multiple park unit projects
• Initiate and manage locally
• Regional/Network field teams
• Field based proposals
• New/other technologies

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More Information

• Visit the Veg Mapping Homepage
• http//biology.usgs.gov/npsveg

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Thanks

• Mike Story
• NPS IM
• [phone]
• mike_story_at_nps.gov