Vegetation Information for the Cape Cod National Seashore Vegetation Inventory Project
Sneddon L. 2010. Vegetation Information for the Cape Cod National Seashore Vegetation Inventory Project
Vegetation classification and mapping were conducted at Cape Cod National Seashore, creating a digital geospatial vegetation database for the park. Sixty-one vegetation associations were identified within the park boundary. Nine additional associations were included in the classification, but were not mapped. Seven of these associations occur within close proximity to, but just outside the boundary of the Cape Cod National Seashore; one is a small patch association that occurs in the park but was below the minimum map unit in size; and one is a submerged aquatic vegetation community. All 70 associations are described in detail. In the final vegetation map, 11 associations were mapped individually and 49 associations were aggregated into 18 additional vegetation map classes. Assembling two or more associations into a single map unit increased the accuracy of the map. The final vegetation map consists of 29 vegetation map classes: Beach, Beachgrass Dune, Black Locust, Bog, Buttonbush, Cattail Marsh, Cedar Swamp, Coastal Marsh, Coastal Plain Pondshore, Cranberry Swale, Dune Pine Forest, Dune Shrub, Fen, Freshwater Marsh, Heathland / Grassland, Mixed Forest, Oak / Beech Forest, Old Field, Phragmites, Pitch Pine Barrens, Red Cedar, Red Maple Swamp, Salt Marsh, Salt Shrub, Scrub Forest, Scrub Oak, Shrub Swale, Shrub Swamp, and Wooded Marsh. The vegetation map covers 10,833 ha (26,769 ac) of Cape Cod National Seashore. The most abundant forest vegetation association is Pitch Pine - Oak Forest, which covers 1,756 ha (4,339 ac). This vegetation type is characteristic of the natural vegetation of the region, that being the Coastal Lowlands subsection of the Oak - Chestnut Forest Region. Pitch Pine - Heath Barrens are also common, covering 1,560 ha (3,855 ac). The most abundant herbaceous association is Northern Beachgrass Dune, at 1,310 ha (3,237 ac). Salt marsh associations are the most common wetland communities in Cape Cod National Seashore, covering 843 ha (2,083 ac). Twelve vegetation associations occurring within Cape Cod National Seashore are globally rare (G1–G3). All of the vegetation associations reflect the varied land use history, ongoing land management, and the diverse and dynamic environmental settings of the park. A map showing the locations of vegetation map classes in the park was created, following the USGS/NPS Vegetation Mapping Program protocols (TNC and ESRI 1994a,b,c). A dichotomous field key was developed for these vegetation map classes to assist with field recognition and classification. This project documents the vegetation associations and map classes of Cape Cod National Seashore based on 2000 and 2001 aerial photography, 2002–03 plot sampling, and 2004 accuracy assessment. It completes one of twelve basic inventory data sets for the park.
- Type
- Published Report
- Authors
- Sneddon, Lesley
- Date of Issue
- 2010-10
- Units
- CACO , 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 Inventory, Vegetation Inventory Report, Vegetation Map Report, Vegetation Mapping, Vegetation Plots