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Vegetation Classification and Mapping Project Report

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Vegetation Classification and Mapping Project Report USGS-NPS Vegetation Mapping Program Badlands National Par k USGS-NPS Vegetation Mapping Program Badlands National Park, South Dakota Jim Von Loh ACS Government Solutions Group Dan Cogan ACS Government Solutions Group Don Faber-Langendoen The Nature Conservancy Doug Crawford Bureau of Reclamation Michael J. Pucherelli Bureau of Reclamation November 19, 1999 U.S. Department of the Interior Bureau of Reclamation’s Remote Sensing and GIS Group Denver Federal Center Denver, Colorado The Reclamation Remote Sensing and Geographic Information Group, organized in 1975 provides advice and assistance regarding the application of remote sensing and geographic information system (GIS) technologies to meet the spatial information needs of Bureau of Reclamation and other clients. USGS-NPS Vegetation Mapping Program Badlands National Park TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF TABLES...........................................................................................................................IV LIST OF FIGURES.......................................................................................................................... .V LIST OF CONTACTS ..................................................................................................................... VI LIST OF CONTRIBUTORS.............................................................................................................VIII ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ................................................................................................................ IX EXECUTIVE SUMMARY .......................................................................................................... 1 INTRODUCTION......................................................................................................................... 2 PROJECT AREA.......................................................................................................................... 3 LOCATION AND REGIONAL SETTING............................................................................................. 3 CLIMATE ..................................................................................................................................... 3 GEOLOGY AND TOPOGRAPHY ....................................................................................................... 5 SOILS ........................................................................................................................................... 8 WILDLIFE ................................................................................................................................... 11 VEGETATION .............................................................................................................................. 12 MATERIALS AND METHODS ............................................................................................... 14 PLANNING AND SCOPING ............................................................................................................ 14 PRELIMINARY DATA COLLECTION AND REVIEW OF EXISTING INFORMATION ............................ 17 AERIAL PHOTOGRAPHY ACQUISITION ........................................................................................ 17 ENVIRONMENTAL GRADIENT TRANSECT (GRADSECT) DESIGN .................................................. 17 FIELD SURVEY............................................................................................................................ 20 VEGETATION CLASSIFICATION AND CHARACTERIZATION .......................................................... 22 VEGETATION MAP PREPARATION............................................................................................... 23 ACCURACY ASSESSMENT ........................................................................................................... 24 RESULTS .................................................................................................................................... 28 VEGETATION CLASSIFICATION AND CHARACTERIZATION .......................................................... 28 VEGETATION MAP PRODUCTION ................................................................................................ 35 ii USGS-NPS Vegetation Mapping Program Badlands National Par k ACCURACY ASSESSMENT ........................................................................................................... 53 DISCUSSION .............................................................................................................................. 59 VEGETATION CLASSIFICATION AND CHARACTERIZATION .......................................................... 59 VEGETATION MAP PRODUCTION ................................................................................................ 61 RECOMMENDATIONS FOR FUTURE PROJECTS ............................................................................. 63 BIBLIOGRAPHY....................................................................................................................... 65 APPENDICES 1. AVERAGE MONTHLY PRECIPITATION FOR INTERIOR, SD 2. AVERAGE MONTHLY PRECIPITATION FOR WASTA, SD 3. FLOWCHART OF USGS-NPS NATIONAL PARKS VEGETATION PROGRAM 4. INDEX OF USGS 7.5-MINUTE TOPOGRAPHIC QUAD MAPS FOR BADLANDS NATIONAL PARK 5. INDEX TO 9X9 INCH PHOTOS 6. OBSERVATION POINT FORM 7. PLOT SURVEY FORM 8. FIELD KEY TO THE NVCS VEGETATION ASSOCIATIONS 9. PARKS GIS DATABASE DESIGN, LAYOUT, AND PROCEDURES 10. BADLANDS NATIONAL PARK METADATA 11. ACCURACY ASSESSMENT DATA FORM 12. DETAILED NVCS VEGETATION CLASSIFICATION 13. PRAIRIE DOG MAPPING PROTOCOLS 14. MAPPING UNITS AND CODES FOR BADLANDS NATIONAL PARK 15. SPECIES LIST FOR BADLANDS NATIONAL PARK iii USGS-NPS Vegetation Mapping Program Badlands National Par k LIST OF TABLES TABLE 1. LIST OF RANGE SITES AND MAJOR SOIL ASSOCIATIONS............................ 9 TABLE 2. PROCEDURE SUMMARY FOR 90% CONFIDENCE INTERVALS.................. 27 TABLE 3. NVCS FOR BADLANDS NATIONAL PARK ....................................................... 29 TABLE 4. MAP UNIT CLASSIFICATIONS…… .................................................................... 36 TABLE 5. TOTAL AREA AND POLYGONS PER MAPPING UNIT .................................... 54 TABLE 6. SUMMARY OF AA RESULTS……… ................................................................... 55 TABLE 7. ACCURACY ASSESSMENT CONTINGENCY MATRIX.................................... 58 iv USGS-NPS Vegetation Mapping Program Badlands National Par k LIST OF FIGURES FIGURE 1. GENERAL MAP OF BADLANDS NATIONAL PARK ...................................... 4 FIGURE 2. LANDSCAPE OF BADLANDS NATIONAL PARK ........................................... 5 FIGURE 3. GEOLOGIC FORMATIONS IN BADLANDS NATIONAL PARK .................... 7 FIGURE 4. WILDLIFE IN BADLANDS NATIONAL PARK................................................ 11 FIGURE 5. YELLOW SWEETCLOVER IN BADLANDS NATIONAL PARK ................... 12 FIGURE 6. CHARACTERISTIC VEGETATION IN BADLANDS NATIONAL PARK...... 13 FIGURE 7. PROJECT BOUNDARY AND ELEVATION MAP ............................................ 16 FIGURE 8. FLIGHT LINE MAP.............................................................................................. 18 FIGURE 9. MAP OF THE GRADSECT LOCATIONS........................................................... 19 FIGURE 10. MAP OF THE OBSERVATION POINT LOCATIONS..................................... 20 FIGURE 11. MAP OF THE PLOT LOCATIONS..................................................................... 21 FIGURE 12. MAP OF THE ACCURACY ASSESSMENT POINTS....................................... 26 FIGURE 13. PONDEROSA PINE AND ROCKY MT. JUNIPER ........................................... 31 FIGURE 14. PLAINS COTTONWOOD ................................................................................... 32 FIGURE 15. SWITCHGRASS AND SANDBAR WILLOW ................................................... 34 FIGURE 16. PHOTO-INTERPRETIVE KEY FOR THE SPARSE MAP UNITS ................... 40 FIGURE 17. PHOTO-INTERPRETIVE KEY FOR THE HERBACEOUS MAP UNITS ....... 42 FIGURE 18. PHOTO-INTERPRETIVE KEY FOR THE SHRUB MAP UNITS..................... 46 FIGURE 19. PHOTO-INTERPRETIVE KEY FOR THE WOODLAND MAP UNITS .......... 49 FIGURE 20. PHOTO-INTERPRETIVE KEY FOR THE LAND-USE MAP UNITS.............. 51 v USGS-NPS Vegetation Mapping Program Badlands National Par k LIST OF CONTACTS Bureau of Reclamation Remote Sensing and Geographic Information Group (RSGIG) P.O. Box 25007 Mail Code D-8260 Denver, CO 80225 Fax: (303) 445-6337 • Mike Pucherelli RSGIG Group Manager Phone: (303) 445-2267 E-mail: [email protected] • Jim Von Loh Badlands Mapping Project Leader Phone: (303) 445-2283 E-mail: [email protected] United States Geological Survey / Biological Resources Division Center for Biological Informatics Denver Federal Center, Building 810, Room 8000, MS 302 Denver, CO 80225-0046 Fax: (303) 202-4219 • Tom Owens Project Coordinator USGS-NPS Vegetation Mapping Program Phone: (303) 202-4259 E-mail: [email protected] • Ralph Root Geospatial Technology Specialist Phone: (303) 202-4232 E-mail: [email protected] vi USGS-NPS Vegetation Mapping Program Badlands National Par k National Park Service Badlands National Park P. O. Box 6 Interior, South Dakota 57750 Fax: (605) 433-5404 • Mike Story NPS Vegetation Mapping Program Liaison (Located at CBI ) Phone: (303) 202-4236 E-mail: [email protected] • William R. Supernaugh, Jr. Badlands NP Superintendent Phone: (605) 433-5361 • Sandee Dingman Badlands Resource Management Specialist Phone: (605)
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