Vegetation classification and mapping project report: Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area [and associated files]

Stevens, Joe; Jones, David; Benner, Jay

This vegetation inventory and mapping project follows guidance provided by the NPS Vegetation Mapping Inventory Program. The overall process includes initial planning and scoping, field data collection, data analysis, imagery interpretation and classification, and accuracy assessment. The initial planning and scoping meetings took place in April, 2010 in Lovell, Wyoming and included BICA staff, Greater Yellowstone Inventory and Monitoring Network staff, Vegetation Inventory Program managers, Colorado State University ecologists, staff from other interested agencies and subject matter experts. Prior to field work, the preliminary classification of the vegetation associations included 96 USNVC associations known to occur in the project area or nearby. Existing vegetation and mapping data combined with field-collected vegetation plot data enables the final 2015 vegetation classification. Vegetation data collections at over 256 plot locations at BICA over the summer of 2011 by cooperator field crews supported the quantitative classification using hierarchical clustering and professional opinion. The final vegetation classification includes 73 vegetation types; 67 USNVC associations and six park special types. The classified types include 4 forest types, 18 woodland types, 25 shrubland types, 22 herbaceous types, and 4 sparse vegetation types. The final mapping classification, which cross walks what is present with what can be consistently classified and mapped (i.e., interpreted), consists of 49 map classes within BICA. Of these 49 map classes, 42 represent 67 natural/ruderal associations within the NVCS or 6 types described as unpublished park specials, one represents cultural vegetation (agricultural vegetation), and four represent NLCD Level II landcover classes (Water; Barren; Developed, Open Space; and Developed, High Intensity). Of the 42 vegetated map classes, 28 map classes represent a single NVCS association, eight map classes represent two NVCS associations, three map classes represent three NVCS associations, one map class represents five associations, one map class represents six associations, and one map class represents nine associations.

Vegetation classification and mapping project report: Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area [and associated files]

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