Lewis and Clark National Historical Park Vegetation Classification and Mapping Project Report

Kagan JS, Nielsen EM, Noone MD, van Warmerdam JC, Wise LK, Kittel G, Copass C. 2012. Lewis and Clark National Historical Park Vegetation Classification and Mapping Project Report. NPS/NCCN/NRR—2012/597. National Park Service. Fort Collins, Colorado

Part of the NPS Vegetation Inventory Program. The National Park Service (NPS) Vegetation Inventory Program (VIP) is an effort to classify, describe, and map existing vegetation of national park units as part of generating baseline data products for the NPS Natural Resources Inventory and Monitoring Program. A vegetation map of the Lewis and Clark National Historic Park (LEWI) was developed as part of a cooperative project between the NPS and the Institute for Natural Resources’ Oregon Biodiversity Information Center (ORBIC). The project complemented ongoing species-level inventory at the park which took place during 2009 and 2010. The vegetation classes developed for the LEWI map build on the U.S. National Vegetation Classification Standard (USNVC, http://usnvc.org). An initial classification was developed drawing on ORBIC and NPS staff expertise of vegetation types in the area. Training data points (n=254) were collected in 2009 and 2010. Several imagery sources were used to derive the vegetation map, primarily Light Imaging and Detection Radar (LiDAR) and aerial imagery from the National Agriculture Imagery Program. The eCognition software package and Berkley Imaging Segmentation was used to create the initial image segments and polygon map. The mean values of variable inputs were summarized for each of the training data polygons and were used to generate a predictive non-parametric model using RandomForest in the statistical program R. The model was then applied to all polygons. The resulting draft map was reviewed by experts familiar with the vegetation types of the area. The final map includes 24 classes, representing 3 land cover types and 21 alliance-based map classes. A field-based, blind random sample accuracy assessment of the map was carried out in mid-August 2011 and December 2011. A total of 175 accuracy assessment points were collected. Based on the assessment, the total map accuracy was 88.9%, exceeding the program standard of 80%. In general, the combination of having access to LiDAR and multiple imagery sources, a relatively small area to map, and a large number of roads and trails for accessing training and accuracy assessment plots resulted in very accurate and meaningful results. Following the accuracy assessment, all of the polygons which had been identified as being mapped incorrectly were updated, so the final product has no known errors and should be very useful for management decisions at LEWI. The LEWI vegetation inventory project delivers a suite of final products in both hardcopy and digital format. These products include a comprehensive report detailing the methods, results, vegetation descriptions and key, map class descriptions, and a contingency table showing the results of the mapping accuracy assessment. In addition, the product suite includes imagery, and a geodatabase of vegetation community polygons combined with field plot and accuracy assessment point locations. This combined suite of products provides a baseline inventory of vegetation at the park and enhances the usability of these data for natural resource management.

Type
Published Report
Authors
Kagan, James; Nielsen, Eric; Noone, Matthew; van Warmerdam, Jason; Wise, Lindsey; Kittel, Gwen; Copass, Catharine
Date of Issue
2012-12
Publisher
National Park Service
Units
LEWI , NRSS , VMI
Keywords
Alliance, association, Cape Disappointment, Classification, Dismal Nitch, eCognition, Ecola State Park, Forest, Fort Clatsop, Fort Columbia State Park, Fort Stevens State Park, Habitats, herbaceous, Institute for Natural Resources, Landsat, Lidar, Light Imaging and Detection Radar, Mapping, NAIP, National Agriculture Imagery Program, National Vegetation Classification Standard, NDMI, NDVI, Normalized Difference Moisture Index, Normalized Difference Vegetation Index, NVCS, ORBIC, Oregon Biodiversity Information Center, Prairie, randomForest, Salt Marsh, shrubland, SPOT 4, Station Camp, Sunset Beach, Tasseled Capped Wetness, training data, Vegetation, Vegetation Inventory Program, VIP, Wetland, Yeon
Subjects
Ecological Framework: Biological Integrity | Focal Species or Communities | Vegetation Complex

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