U.S. Department of the InteriorU.S. Geological Survey

Vegetation Monitoring UpdateStatus of Terrestrial Program and Proposed Projects for FY07- 08

B. Ralston, GCMRC, August 3, 2006

Vegetation of Colorado River Ecosystem•Mix of communities

•Related to multiple resources

•Wildlife

•Recreation

•Cultural/archaeology

•Recognized by stakeholders as separate management objectives.

Background

Protocol Evaluation Panel Convened March 2000.RFP for Terrestrial Ecosystem Monitoring Released Fall 2000, field work started May 2001.May 2002 digital CIR flown for river corridorVegetation Mapping Project Initiated March 2003.  

Temporal & spatial scales of change

1 2 4 5

Vegetation Map

Vegetation Map 5 years later

Annual Vegetation Dynamics Transects

Semi-decadal Vegetation Mapping

River channel

River channel

Definitions

Cover – amount of ground surface covered by a plant.Biomass – amount of plant material produced over a given time periodSpecies richness – number of species within a community.Species diversity – indication of the relative abundance of species within a community.

Status – Terrestrial Monitoring

Simultaneous sampling of multiple terrestrial resources and annual vegetation transects.

a b

Status – Terrestrial Monitoring

Simultaneous sampling of multiple terrestrial resources and annual vegetation transects.

60 kcfs

45 kcfs

35 kcfs

25 kcfs

15 kcfs

140 locations along the CRE

Probabilistic sample

Tied to specific surface elevations

Record cover, richness, diversity and wetland species score, surface soil texture

Composition annually at specific stage elevations

Results: Vegetation transects

Cover and substrate texture by surface elevation

Year

2001 2002 2003 2004

Vege

tativ

e C

over

0

20

40

15 kcfs25 kcfs35 kcfs45 kcfs60 kcfs

Substrate Texture

Year2001 2002 2003 2004

Prop

ortio

n of

 Fin

es

0.0

0.5

15 kcfs25 kcfs35 kcfs45 kcfs60 kcfs

Year: F(3, 936) = 0.23, n.s.Zone: F(4, 936) = 22.91, p < 0.001

Zone x Year: F(12, 936) = 2.41, p < 0.05

Proposed FY07 Bio 6.R2.07

Convene Protocol Evaluation Panel of Terrestrial Program November  2007.RFP for Vegetation Transect March 2007, pending PEP recommendations.Cooperator identified June 2007Field work initiated September 2007.

1 2 3 4 5

Vegetation Map Vegetation Map 5 years later

Annual Vegetation Dynamics Transects

Semi-decadal Vegetation Mapping

River channel River channel

Vegetation Mapping of CRE

Vegetation Mapping of CRE•Accuracies of 80% or better.

•Ground truth from 2002 and additional training areas anticipate increased accuracies for 2005 imagery.

•Comparisons between years 

•Area

•Community composition

Vegetation Cover of CRE

Percent Area Covered by Six Vegetation Classes

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

Vegetation Classes

% V

eget

atio

n

Series1 8.164416174 24.01533237 3.620302087 14.05633407 18.93962291 22.49633634 8.707654911

Mesquite acacia Sparse shrub Seep Willow Coyote Willow Salt Cedar Arrowweed Litter_rocks Wetland

Vegetation Cover of CRETotal Area Covered by Vegetation Classes

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

700

Vegetation Classes

Are

a (h

ecta

res)

Series1 213.16008 627.0026 94.5204 366.9888 494.4838 587.344 227.34319

Mesquite acacia Sparse shrub Seep Willow Coyote Willow Salt Cedar Arrowweed Litter rocks Wetland

Vegetation Map Uses

•Biomass and terrestrial vegetation input estimates

Vegetation Map Uses

•Biomass and terrestrial vegetation input estimates

•Incorporation into camp site area changes

•Incorporation into shoreline habitat mapping

1 2 3 4 5

Vegetation Map Vegetation Map 5 years later

Annual Vegetation Dynamics Transects

Semi-decadal Vegetation Mapping

River channel River channel

Proposed FY07 Bio 6.R1.07

Convene Protocol Evaluation Panel of Terrestrial Program November  2007.Initiate computer analysis of 2005 imageryField based data collection June 2007Data entry and community analysis by fall 2007.Ground – truth map accuracy June 2008.Change detection and reporting fall 2008.

Project BIO 6.R.3.07 Vegetation Synthesis

Conceptual model of riparian vegetation dynamics

Project BIO 6.R.3.07 Vegetation Synthesis

•Geomorphology synthesis completed 2004 (Schmidt et al. 2004).

•Transects, plots  

•Vegetation Maps

Multiple studies of vegetation since 1980’s & earlier

1965  RM 55.4

Determine rate of change estimators for particular vegetation classes

Life history information Incorporate frequency of disturbance information from physical resource program Validate hypotheses - vegetation mapping information  & scanning project

1984  RM 55.4

- Vegetation Monitoring Update
- Vegetation of Colorado River Ecosystem
- Background
- Definitions
- Status – Terrestrial Monitoring
- Status – Terrestrial Monitoring
- Results: Vegetation transects
- Proposed FY07 Bio 6.R2.07
- Vegetation Mapping of CRE
- Vegetation Mapping of CRE
- Vegetation Cover of CRE
- Vegetation Cover of CRE
- Vegetation Map Uses
- Vegetation Map Uses
- Proposed FY07 Bio 6.R1.07
- Project BIO 6.R.3.07 Vegetation Synthesis
- Project BIO 6.R.3.07 Vegetation Synthesis