Vegetation classification and map: Bandelier National Monument [and associated files]
Muldavin E, Kenedy A, Jackson C, Neville T, Neville P, Schultz K, Reid M. 2011. Vegetation classification and map: Bandelier National Monument [and associated files]. Natural Resource Technical Report. NPS/SCPN/NRTR—2011/438. National Park Service, Natural Resource Program Center. Fort Collins, Colorado
A vegetation classification and high-resolution vegetation map was developed for Bandelier National Monument, New Mexico, as part of the USGS Vegetation Characterization Program, a cooperative effort by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and the National Park Service Inventory & Monitoring -Vegetation Mapping Program to classify, describe, and map vegetation communities in more than 280 national park units across the United States. The classification and map for Bandelier National Monument (BAND) were based on data collected from 710 field plots between 2003 and 2007. The vegetation communities of BAND are diverse. They range from desert shrublands and semiarid grasslands of the lowland canyons and foothills to subalpine forest and woodlands at the highest elevations. Using various multivariate statistical and tabular tools, and adhering to the guidelines of the National Vegetation Classification Standard (NVCS), we identified 95 plant associations for the park, many of them unique to the Southwest. The vegetation map was developed using a combination of automated digital processing (supervised classifications and image segmentation) and direct image interpretation of high-resolution color and color infrared aerial orthophotography in combination with satellite imagery (Landsat Thematic Mapper). The map legend is hierarchically structured with an upper Level 1 of 24 map units corresponding to the Group Level NVCS and a Level 2 composed of 55 nested map units comprised of plant associations from the vegetation classification.
- Type
- Published Report
- Authors
- Muldavin, Esteban; Kenedy, Amanda; Jackson, Charlie; Neville, Teri; Neville, Pual; Schultz, Keith; Reid, Marion
- Date of Issue
- 2011-03
- Publisher
- National Park Service, Natural Resource Program Center
- Units
- BAND , NRSS , SCPN
- Keywords
- Accuracy Assessment, Classification, vegetation associations, Vegetation Mapping