Plant Community Classification and Mapping Project Final Report: Point Reyes NS, Golden Gate NRA, San Francisco Water Dept
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Plant CommunityPlant Community Classification Classification and Mapping Project and Final Mapping Report - December Project 2003 Final ReportPRNS, Golden Gate National Recreation Area, and the Surrounding Wildlands Point Reyes National Seashore, Golden Gate National Recreation Area, San Francisco Water Department Watershed Lands, MountTamalpais,Tomales Bay, and Samuel P. Taylor State Parks July 30, 2003 David Schirokauer2 Todd Keeler-Wolf1 John Meinke3 Pam van der Leeden2 1 Todd Keeler-Wolf, Lead Vegetation Ecologist, California State Department of Fish and Game, Wildlife and Habitat Data Analysis Branch, 1807 13th St, Suite 202, Sacramento, CA 95814 2 Pam van der Leeden and David Schirokauer, National Park Service, PRNS, 1 Bear Valley Road, Point Reyes Station, CA 94956 3 John Meinke, Aerial Information Systems, Redlands CA Plant Community Classification and Mapping Project Final Report - December 2003 PRNS, Golden Gate National Recreation Area, and the Surrounding Wildlands Abstract............................................................................................................................... 4 Acknowledgements............................................................................................................. 4 Structure of this document ................................................................................................ 5 Background ........................................................................................................................ 5 Introduction................................................................................................................................ 5 The Vision Fire....................................................................................................................................... 5 Vegetation Sampling And Plant Community Classification ............................................ 7 Study Area.................................................................................................................................. 9 PRNS & GGNRA - General Description ............................................................................................. 10 PRNS - General Regions .................................................................................................................. 10 The Northern Inverness Ridge.............................................................................................. 11 The Southern Inverness Ridge.............................................................................................. 11 The Pastoral Lands Surrounding Drakes Estero ................................................................... 12 Samuel P. Taylor State Park ................................................................................................. 12 The Interior Portions of Study Area, Adjacent to the Eastern Shores Tomales Bay............. 12 Tomales Point....................................................................................................................... 13 Golden Gate National Recreation Area North of Mt. Tamalpais State Park ........................ 13 Golden Gate National Recreation Area - General Regions .............................................................. 13 Mount Tamalpais State Park................................................................................................. 13 Muir Woods National Monument......................................................................................... 14 The Marin Headlands and Tennessee Valley Region ........................................................... 14 Angel Island State Park ........................................................................................................ 14 The San Francisco Area........................................................................................................ 14 Project timeline ........................................................................................................................ 15 Methods .................................................................................................................................... 17 Collecting Training Data ...................................................................................................................... 17 Plot Sampling ................................................................................................................................... 18 Creating the Plant Community Classification ...................................................................................... 19 Description Writing.............................................................................................................................. 22 Results And Discussion............................................................................................................ 23 Future Direction....................................................................................................................... 27 Photo Interpretation......................................................................................................... 29 Development of Photo Interpretation Mapping Procedures................................................ 29 Development of Photo Interpretation Mapping Criteria ..................................................... 30 General Mapping Criteria / Aerial Photography...................................................................................30 Park-Specific Mapping Criteria............................................................................................................ 31 The Vision Fire................................................................................................................................. 31 Non-Native Vegetation..................................................................................................................... 32 Native California Grasslands............................................................................................................ 32 Zero Value Data ............................................................................................................................... 32 Working Photo Signature Key.......................................................................................................... 32 NatureServe-TNC Classification, Key, and Descriptions................................................................. 33 Project Set - Up .................................................................................................................................... 33 Preliminary Photo Signature Delineations............................................................................................ 34 Field Reconnaissance Effort............................................................................................................. 35 Photo Interpretation of Vegetation ....................................................................................................... 35 Collateral Source Vegetation Maps.................................................................................................. 36 Plant Community Classification and Mapping Project Final Report - December 2003 PRNS, Golden Gate National Recreation Area, and the Surrounding Wildlands Photo Interpretation Field Verification................................................................................................. 36 Final Photo Interpretation................................................................................................................. 38 Data Conversion....................................................................................................................... 38 Accuracy Assessment ....................................................................................................... 42 Introduction.............................................................................................................................. 42 Methods .................................................................................................................................... 42 Accuracy Assessment Sample Allocation ............................................................................................ 42 Selection Criteria for Accuracy Assessment Polygons......................................................................... 43 Field Data Collection for Accuracy Assessment .................................................................................. 44 RESULTS ................................................................................................................................. 46 Development of “Fuzzy Logic” for Accuracy Assessment .................................................................. 46 Photo Interpretation Notes on Accuracy Assessment........................................................... 49 Specific Observations at the Superalliance Level................................................................................. 50 Additional Photo Interpretation to Improve the Maps Thematic Accuracy...................... 51 Data Dictionary for associated GIS Data........................................................................ 55 FGDC Metadata for the associated GIS data:................................................................ 56 Literature Cited ................................................................................................................76 Plant Community Classification and Mapping Project Final Report