USGS-NPS National Vegetation Mapping Program: Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument, Arizona, Vegetation Classification and Distribution By Monica Hansen1, Janet Coles2, Kathryn A. Thomas1, Daniel Cogan2, Marion Reid3, Jim Von Loh2, and Keith Schulz3 U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY SOUTHWEST BIOLOGICAL SCIENCE CENTER Final Report Prepared for: USGS-NPS National Vegetation Mapping Program 1Colorado Plateau Research Station Southwest Biological Science Center U.S. Geological Survey Flagstaff, AZ 86001 2Remote Sensing and GIS Group U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (USBR) Denver, Colorado 3NatureServe Boulder, Colorado Flagstaff, Arizona 2004 UGSG-NPS Vegetation Mapping Program Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF TABLES .............................................................................................................................. 3 LIST OF FIGURES ............................................................................................................................ 4 LIST OF CONTACTS AND CONTRIBUTORS ............................................................................ 5 ACKNOWLEGEMENTS .................................................................................................................. 7 LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS AND TERMS ................................................................................... 8 SUMMARY ......................................................................................................................................... 9 1. INTRODUCTION......................................................................................................................... 11 2. PROJECT AREA.......................................................................................................................... 13 LOCATION AND REGIONAL SETTING .............................................................................................. 14 CLIMATE........................................................................................................................................ 15 GEOLOGY AND TOPOGRAPHY ........................................................................................................ 15 WILDLIFE....................................................................................................................................... 18 VEGETATION.................................................................................................................................. 19 LAND USE...................................................................................................................................... 21 3. METHODS .................................................................................................................................... 22 PROJECT SCOPING AND PLANNING................................................................................................. 22 PRELIMINARY DATA COLLECTION AND REVIEW OF EXISTING INFORMATION................................ 24 AERIAL PHOTOGRAPHY AND BASE MAP ACQUISITION .................................................................. 24 SAMPLING DESIGN DEVELOPMENT ................................................................................................ 25 FIELD DATA COLLECTION.............................................................................................................. 26 VEGETATION CLASSIFICATION AND CHARACTERIZATION.............................................................. 27 VEGETATION MAP PREPARATION .................................................................................................. 29 ACCURACY ASSESSMENT............................................................................................................... 31 4. RESULTS ...................................................................................................................................... 38 FIELD SURVEYS ............................................................................................................................. 38 VEGETATION CLASSIFICATION....................................................................................................... 38 VEGETATION MAP CLASSES .......................................................................................................... 41 AERIAL PHOTOGRAPH INTERPRETATION........................................................................................ 45 GIS DATABASE AND MAPS ............................................................................................................ 45 ACCURACY ASSESSMENT............................................................................................................... 48 5. DISCUSSION ................................................................................................................................ 54 VEGETATION CLASSIFICATION AND MAP CLASSES........................................................................ 56 ACCURACY ASSESSMENT............................................................................................................... 58 APPLICATIONS ............................................................................................................................... 58 6. BIBLIOGRAPHY ......................................................................................................................... 59 7. GLOSSARY................................................................................................................................... 62 GLOSSARY LITERATURE CITED...................................................................................................... 75 1 UGSG-NPS Vegetation Mapping Program Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument APPENDIX A.................................................................................................................................. A-1 A. CD-ROM README TEXT AND CD-ROM ................................................................................. A-1 APPENDIX B .................................................................................................................................. B-1 B. PRECIPITATION AND TEMPERATURE AVERAGES FOR SUNSET CRATER VOLCANO NATIONAL MONUMENT (AUGUST AND JANUARY 1971-2002)....................................................................... B-1 APPENDIX C .................................................................................................................................. C-1 C. FLOWCHART OF USGS-NPS NATIONAL PARKS VEGETATION MAPPING PROGRAM ............... C-1 APPENDIX D. ................................................................................................................................. D-1 D. PHOTOINTERPRETATION OBSERVATIONS, CLASSIFICATION RELEVÉS, AND ACCURACY ASSESSMENT OBSERVATIONS FORMS ............................................................................................. D-1 APPENDIX E .................................................................................................................................. E-1 E. FIELD KEY FOR THE SUNSET CRATER VOLCANO NATIONAL MONUMENT VEGETATION COMMUNITY DESCRIPTIONS AND MAP CLASSES ......................................................................... E-1 APPENDIX F .................................................................................................................................. F-1 F. NATIONAL VEGETATION CLASSIFICATION STANDARD (NVCS) LOCAL DESCRIPTIONS FOR SUNSET CRATER VOLCANO NATIONAL MONUMENT ....................................................................F-1 APPENDIX G..................................................................................................................................G-1 G. SUNSET CRATER VOLCANO NATIONAL MONUMENT SPECIES LIST ........................................ G-1 APPENDIX H..................................................................................................................................H-1 H. VISUAL GUIDE AND DESCRIPTIONS OF THE SUNSET CRATER VOLCANO NATIONAL MONUMENT MAP CLASSES .............................................................................................................................. H-1 2 UGSG-NPS Vegetation Mapping Program Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument LIST OF TABLES TABLE 1. USGS-NPS VEGETATION MAPPING PROGRAM CRITERIA FOR SAMPLING NUMBERS FOR ACCURACY ASSESSMENT.............................................................................................................. 32 TABLE 2. DEFINITIONS USED IN THE ‘FUZZY SET’ ANALYSIS CLASSIFICATIONS .................................... 35 TABLE 3. SUNSET CRATER VOLCANO NATIONAL MONUMENT NVCS ASSIGNMENTS.......................... 39 TABLE 4. SUCR MAP CLASSES AND THEIR NVCS COMPONENTS......................................................... 42 TABLE 5. MAP CLASS OCCURRENCE IN SUNSET CRATER VOLCANO NATIONAL MONUMENT AND THE ENVIRONS.................................................................................................................................... 47 TABLE 6. MAP CLASS PERFORMANCE................................................................................................... 49 TABLE 7. ACCURACY ASSESSMENT CONTINGENCY TABLE (CRITERIA 5, EXACT MATCH) AND STATISTICAL ANALYSIS OF REFERENCE DATA WITH MAP CLASS DATA......................................... 51 TABLE 8. ACCURACY ASSESSMENT CONTINGENCY TABLE (CRITERIA 4, ACCEPTABLE ACCURACY) AND STATISTICAL ANALYSIS OF REFERENCE DATA WITH MAP CLASS DATA......................................... 51 TABLE 9. ACCURACY ASSESSMENT