Vegetation mapping and classification of Herbert Hoover National Historic Site, Iowa
Diamond DD, Elliott LF, Debacker MD, Kevin KM, Pursell DL, Struckhoff A. 2014. Vegetation mapping and classification of Herbert Hoover National Historic Site, Iowa. Natural Resource Report. NPS/HEHO/NRR—2014/794. National Park Service. Fort Collins, Colorado
Herbert Hoover National Historic Site (HEHO) is situated in east central Iowa, surrounded by the small town of West Branch, just north of, and adjacent to, Interstate 80. The Herbert Hoover Library and Museum, a visitor center, and a number of restored homes and other buildings are present within the park. A restored tallgrass prairie is the most significant terrestrial natural resource within this largely agricultural landscape. A vegetation classification and mapping project was initiated in 2011 and completed in 2013. Protocols and products were produced following National Park Service Vegetation Inventory Program guidelines. Classification was based on 15 field plots and 24 georeferenced observation points. Mapping was based on air photo interpretation and heads-up digitizing of polygons. Accuracy assessment points obtained during 2013 verified that the map was 98.7% accurate. Five types were mapped and quantified. The restored tallgrass prairie is a striking visual component of the site, and makes up 71.6 acres, or 58% of the undeveloped area. This restored prairie patch within a largely agricultural landscape offers conservation, aesthetic, and educational value. Three other herbaceous vegetation types, including pasture and old field, forb dominated herbaceous vegetation, and reed canarygrass (Phalaris arundinacea), make up almost all of the remainder of the park. A ruderal bottomland woodland occupies 2.8 acres, or 1.1% of the undeveloped area.
- Type
- Published Report
- Authors
- Diamond, David; Elliott, Lee; Debacker, Michael; Kevin, Kevin; Pursell, Dyanna; Struckhoff, Alicia
- Date of Issue
- 2014-04
- Publisher
- National Park Service
- Units
- HEHO , HTLN , NRSS