Field data for the Vegetation Mapping Inventory Project of Pecos National Historic Park

This reference is an assemblage of field data collected as part the baseline vegetation inventory for the park unit. Typical files here are vegetation plot data, accuracy assessment data, field photos, PDF showing locations of vegetation plots and accuracy assessment data, and other data for this type. Vegetation sampling was designed to capture as wide a variety of vegetation types as possible within the seasonal time frame available for field work (typically during the rainy season of July 15 to October 15 when botanical expression is at its best). Sampling campaigns were planned to optimize field crew efficiency while still capturing as wide a range of vegetation types as possible on any given day. Accordingly, we used a cluster-sampling approach where a series of daily routes for the sampling crews were designed in a GIS using digital ortho-photography and preliminary vegetation maps. The locations of eight to ten sampling points per route were driven by differences in vegetation, soils, and geologic pattern, plus logistics, i.e., what could be accomplished in one day’s travel time by vehicle and foot by a field crew (sampling days were ten hours to further increase daily efficiency). Routes were distributed as widely as possible throughout the study area, but the emphasis was on capturing the range of variation within the park. While using the GIS was an excellent planning tool, final plot locations were decided in the field based on positioning the sampling point in homogenous stands of vegetation and habitat.