Vegetation Classification and Map El Malpais National Monument
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National Park Service U.S. Department of the Interior Natural Resource Stewardship and Science Vegetation Classification and Map El Malpais National Monument Natural Resource Technical Report NPS/SCPN/NRTR—2013/803 ON THE COVER (clockwise from the upper left): 1) From Twin Craters looking across the lava flow with a small wildfire in the distance (photo: J. Coop); 2) aspen grow- ing in lava fissure on the Hoya de Cibola flow (photo: J. Coop); 3) stunted ponderosa pines on the McCartys lava flow (photo: J. Coop); saw phacelia (Phacelia serrata), a sensitive species, growing on the slopes of a cinder cone (photo: J. Coop); 4) view of sandstone bluffs adjacent to the McCartys flow (photo: E. Muldavin); 5) blue grama grasslands that are common around the perimeter of the lava flows (photo: Y. Chauvin) Vegetation Classification and Map El Malpais National Monument Natural Resource Technical Report NPS/SCPN/NRTR—2013/803 Esteban Muldavin, Yvonne Chauvin, Teri Neville, Amanda Kennedy, Hugh Hulse, and Paul Arbetan Natural Heritage New Mexico Division Museum of Southwestern Biology University of New Mexico Albuquerque, New Mexico Paul Neville Earth Data Analysis Center University of New Mexico Albuquerque, New Mexico Keith Schultz, Mark Hall, and Marion Reid NatureServe Boulder, Colorado Project Coordinators Anne Cully and Lisa Thomas National Park Service Southern Colorado Plateau Network Northern Arizona University PO Box 5765 Flagstaff, Arizona October 2013 U.S. Department of the Interior National Park Service Natural Resource Stewardship and Science Fort Collins, Colorado The National Park Service, Natural Resource Stewardship and Science office in Fort Collins, Colorado, publishes a range of reports that address natural resource topics. These reports are of interest and applicability to a broad audience in the National Park Service and others in natural resource management, including scientists, conserva- tion and environmental constituencies, and the public. The Natural Resource Technical Report Series is used to disseminate results of scientific studies in the physical, biological, and social sciences for both the advancement of science and the achievement of the National Park Service mission. The series provides contributors with a forum for displaying comprehensive data that are often deleted from journals because of page limitations. All manuscripts in the series receive the appropriate level of peer review to ensure that the information is scientif- ically credible, technically accurate, appropriately written for the intended audience, and designed and published in a professional manner. This report received formal peer review by subject-matter experts who were not directly involved in the collec- tion, analysis, or reporting of the data, and whose background and expertise put them on par technically and scientifically with the authors of the information. Views, statements, findings, conclusions, recommendations, and data in this report do not necessarily reflect views and policies of the National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior. Mention of trade names or commercial products does not constitute endorsement or recommendation for use by the U.S. Government. This project was funded by the National Park Service through Cooperative Agreement 1248-01-001, Task Agree- ment J2121060005/UNM-23. This report is available from the Southern Colorado Plateau Network (http://science.nature.nps.gov/im/units/ scpn), the Natural Resource Publications Management Web site (http://www.nature.nps.gov/publications/ nrpm/), and the USGS-NPS Vegetation Characterization Program website (http://www.usgs.gov/core_science_ systems/csas/vip/) on the Internet. To receive this report in a format optimized for screen readers, please email [email protected]. Please cite this publication as: Muldavin, E., Y. Chauvin, T. Neville, P. Neville, A. Kennedy, H. Hulse, P. Arbetan, K. Schultz, M. Hall, and M. Reid. 2013. Vegetation Classification and Map: El Malpais National Monument. Natural Resource Technical Report NPS/SPCN/NRTR–2013/803. National Park Service, Fort Collins, Colorado. NPS 103/122528, October 2013 ii Vegetation Classification and Map: El Malpais National Monument Contents Figures ............................................................................................................................................................................. v Tables ............................................................................................................................................................................. vii Executive Summary ...................................................................................................................................................... ix Acronyms and Abbreviations ..................................................................................................................................... xiii 1 Introduction.................................................................................................................................................................. 1 1.1 Background, scope, and products ............................................................................................................................ 1 1.2 The USGS-NPS Vegetation Characterization/Mapping Program ................................................................................ 1 1.3 Park environment .................................................................................................................................................... 2 1.3.1 Location ......................................................................................................................................................... 2 1.3.2 Cultural setting and history .............................................................................................................................. 5 1.3.3 Climate ............................................................................................................................................................ 7 1.3.4 Geology and soils ............................................................................................................................................ 8 1.3.5 Previous botanical and vegetation studies ...................................................................................................... 14 2 Vegetation classification ........................................................................................................................................... 17 2.1 Classification methods ........................................................................................................................................... 17 2.1.1 The National Vegetation Classification Standard ............................................................................................. 17 2.1.2 Field methods ................................................................................................................................................ 17 2.1.3 Vegetation analysis ........................................................................................................................................ 21 2.2 Classification results .............................................................................................................................................. 21 2.2.1 Classification overview .................................................................................................................................. 27 2.3 Classification discussion ......................................................................................................................................... 38 3 El Malpais National Monument Vegetation Map .................................................................................................... 39 3.1 Mapping process overview ..................................................................................................................................... 39 3.2 Mapping methods ................................................................................................................................................. 39 3.2.1 Data sources and processing .......................................................................................................................... 39 3.2.2 Vegetation map units and legend development ............................................................................................. 41 3.2.3 Image analysis and map development ............................................................................................................ 42 3.2.4 Final map development ................................................................................................................................ 43 3.3 Mapping results .................................................................................................................................................... 44 3.4 Mapping discussion .............................................................................................................................................. 44 4 Accuracy assessment ................................................................................................................................................. 59 4.1 Accuracy assessment methods .............................................................................................................................. 59 4.1.1 Analysis methods ..........................................................................................................................................