Chaco Culture National Historical Park Vegetation Mapping Project - Spatial Vegetation Data
Vegetation Inventory
Dates
Publication Date
2006-07
Time Period
2004-07
Summary
Vegetation at CHCU was mapped and classified by a combination of existing plot data and data collected for the purposes of this project, several field visits and photo interpretation. The protocols and standards used are those for medium sized parks and are described in the NPS/CSS program documents (TNC and ESRI 1994a) (section 5.1). BOR was contracted by the Southern Colorado Plateau Network in 2005 to map approximately 18,800 ha (~46,500 acres) of Chaco Culture National Historical Park and environs. The vegetation map is a 1:24000 scale product.To effectively classify and map the wide range of vegetation at CHCU required a multi-year approach and consisted of several linked phases: (1) vegetation classification using field data [...]
Summary
Vegetation at CHCU was mapped and classified by a combination of existing plot data and data collected for the purposes of this project, several field visits and photo interpretation. The protocols and standards used are those for medium sized parks and are described in the NPS/CSS program documents (TNC and ESRI 1994a) (section 5.1). BOR was contracted by the Southern Colorado Plateau Network in 2005 to map approximately 18,800 ha (~46,500 acres) of Chaco Culture National Historical Park and environs. The vegetation map is a 1:24000 scale product.To effectively classify and map the wide range of vegetation at CHCU required a multi-year approach and consisted of several linked phases: (1) vegetation classification using field data and the National Vegetation Classification (NVC), (2) digital vegetation map production, and (3) map accuracy assessment. To classify the vegetation, we sampled 141 representative plots located throughout the main unit and environs of the 18,800 ha (46,480 acres) park during the summer of 2005. Analysis of the plot data using ordination and clustering techniques produced 18 distinct plant associations, one of which was newly described. We included 4 already described riparian and shrub types from previous work in the main arroyo to arrive at 22 associations for the park.To produce the digital map, we used a combination of July, 2004 1:12,000-scale true color aerial photography and ground-truthing to interpret the complex patterns of vegetation and landuse at CHCU. In some areas we interpreted directly from 2001 IKONOS imagery that included 1 m panchromatic and 4 m blue, green, red, and infrared bands. A total of 28 map units were developed and directly cross-walked or matched to corresponding plant associations and land-use classes. All of the interpreted and remotely sensed data were converted to Geographic Information System (GIS) databases using ArcInfo software. Draft maps created from the vegetation classification were field-tested and revised before independent ecologists conducted an assessment of the map's accuracy during 2006.
