Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado 2001-2005 Vegetation Classification and Mapping Project Report
Salas D, Stevens J, Schulz K. 2005. Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado 2001-2005 Vegetation Classification and Mapping Project Report. U.S. Bureau Of Reclamation Technical Memorandum. Technical Memorandum 8260-05-02. Remote Sensing and GIS Group Technical Service Center Bureau of Reclamation Denver, Colorado
Rocky Mountain National Park (ROMO) encompasses 417 square miles in north central Colorado, and lies on the eastern slope of the southern Rocky Mountains. This mapping effort is part of the National Park Services’ national inventory and monitoring program and will provide core or ‘baseline’ information that park managers need to effectively manage and protect park resources. This vegetation inventory was conducted in accordance with specified protocols and quality assurance standards. Data obtained through this inventory are compatible, allowing for synthesis and analysis at broader levels To effectively classify and map the wide range of vegetation at ROMO required a multi-year approach and consisted of several linked phases: (1) vegetation classification using the National Vegetation Classification (NVC), (2) digital vegetation map production, and (3) map accuracy assessment. To classify the vegetation, we sampled 623 representative plots located throughout the 267,000-acre (108,000 ha) park during the summer of 2003. Analysis of the plot data using ordination and clustering techniques produced 172 distinct plant associations, 19 of which were newly described. These include 14 NVC associations, and 5 local types. To produce the digital map, we used a combination of 2001 1:12,000-scale true color aerial photography, 2001 1:40,000-scale true color ortho-rectified imagery reproduced at 1:12,000-scale, and 3 years of ground-truthing to interpret the complex patterns of vegetation and landuse at ROMO. In the end, 46 map units were developed and directly cross-walked or matched to corresponding plant associations and land-use classes. All of the interpreted and remotely sensed data were converted to Geographic Information System (GIS) databases using ArcInfo© software. Draft maps created from the vegetation classification were field-tested and revised before independent ecologists conducted an assessment of the map’s accuracy during 2004.
- Type
- Published Report
- Authors
- Salas, David; Stevens, Joe; Schulz, Keith
- Date of Issue
- 2005-08
- Units
- ROMO , VMI
- Keywords
- Accuracy Assessment, Aerial Photography, alliances, Associations, community association, Digital Orthophoto, Digital Spatial Database, DOQ, DOQQ, Field Data, flight line, GIS, GPS, habitat mapping, Inventory Projects, Landcover, Landscape, National Park, National Park Service Inventory, National Vegetation Classification Standard, National Vegetation Classification System, NVCS, Orthophoto, Plots, U.S. National Vegetation Classification, USNVC, USNVCS, Vegetation Composition Inventory, Vegetation Inventory, Vegetation Inventory Report, Vegetation Map Report, Vegetation Mapping, Vegetation Plots