Vegetation Inventory Project: War in the Pacific National Historical Park
Cogan D, Kittel G, Selvig M, Akamine K, Ainsworth A, Benitez D, Kudray G. 2014. Vegetation Inventory Project: War in the Pacific National Historical Park. Natural Resource Report. NPS/PACN/NRR—2014/807. National Park Service. Fort Collins, Colorado
War in the Pacific National Historical Park (WAPA) encompasses approximately 803 ha (1984 ac) on the western side of the island of Guam in the Pacific Ocean. Numerous historic sites and remnant bunkers, pill boxes, gun emplacements and Japanese fortifications are protected throughout the seven discontiguous units. WAPA supports over 390 vascular plants (Yoshioka 2008) and examples of coastal vegetation, lowland rainforest, and freshwater marsh plant species. The landscape of WAPA endured extensive degradation during World War II and as a result many of the communities are dominated by non-native species. For example, savannas dominated by non-native species burn every few years, further degrading soil and inhibiting succession into secondary forests. Frequent tropical storms and typhoons also impact the vegetation influencing canopy height and species composition across communities. All of the vegetation communities within WAPA are disturbed and support a mix of native and non-native species. To better understand the distribution of the plant assemblages located on this site, the National Park Service Pacific Island Network (PACN) Inventory and Monitoring Program started a vegetation inventory effort at WAPA in 2009. A three-year, four phase program was initiated to complete the task of mapping and classifying the vegetation at WAPA. Phase one conducted by PACN staff in 2009 collected 40 field plots and 34 observation points. In phase two, NatureServe’s Western Regional Office used these field data to classify 13 new plant associations for WAPA based on the revised U.S. National Vegetation Classification (USNVC). Phase three, directed by Cogan Technology Inc. (CTI) produced a digital vegetation map and supporting accuracy assessment (AA) materials. In the final phase, PACN staff collected 150 accuracy assessment points in 2010 to check and finalize the map. To produce the spatial database and map layer, 0.6-meter, 4-band Quickbird satellite imagery from 2005 was provided by PACN. By comparing the signatures on the imagery to field and ground data 43 map classes (25 vegetated, three barren, and 15 land-use / land-cover) were developed and directly crosswalked or matched to their corresponding USNVC plant associations. The interpreted and remotely sensed data were converted to Geographic Information System (GIS) databases and maps were printed, field tested, reviewed, and revised. The final map layer was accessed for thematic accuracy by overlaying 150 independent accuracy assessment points. The final overall accuracy of the map layer was determined to be 84% with a Kappa value of 88%.
- Type
- Published Report
- Authors
- Cogan, Dan; Kittel, Gwen; Selvig, Meagan; Akamine, Kathryn; Ainsworth, Alison; Benitez, David; Kudray, Greg
- Date of Issue
- 2014-05
- Publisher
- National Park Service
- Units
- NRSS , PACN , WAPA
- Keywords
- Accuracy Assessment, Biota, International Vegetation Classification, National Park, National Park Service, National Vegetation Classification Standard, National Vegetation Classification System, NPS, NVCS, Plant Inventory Report, U.S. National Vegetation Classification, US Geological Survey, USA, USGS, USNVC, Vegetation, Vegetation Inventory, Vegetation Map, Vegetation Mapping Inventory
- Subjects
- Ecological Framework: Biological Integrity | Focal Species or Communities | Vegetation Complex