The goal of the vegetation community classification and
mapping project is to develop an updated vegetation map
detailing the distribution of plant communities on the INL
Site. Specific objectives are to:
Characterize
the vegetation community types present on the INL Site
Define the
spatial distribution of those community types
Conduct an
accuracy assessment of the resulting map.
The approach is based on a process developed by the U.S.
Geological Survey and National Park Service for use in land
management planning and includes two parallel tasks, plant
community classification and map unit delineation. Plant
community classification entails multivariate analysis of
applicable historical vegetation data sets and a current
project-specific vegetation data set, resulting in a
statistically definable list of vegetation classes that can
be reconciled with U.S. National Vegetation Classification
System-defined vegetation associations. The map unit
delineation process consists of generating polygons using
current digital color-infrared aerial imagery, several
ancillary data layers and image processing techniques to
define areas of similarity or dissimilarity across the INL
Site. Products of these efforts then are reconciled by
assigning vegetation classes to map units, resulting in a
map that will be assessed for accuracy.
Vegetation Map
Plots
Throughout 2009, several key objectives were completed. A
total working class list of 27 plant communities was
identified and named according to National Vegetation
Classification System conventions. During the summer of
2009, two field crews collected vegetation community data
needed for independent validation of the final map polygons.
A total of 534 validation plots were sampled.
Each validation plot consisted of a sampling plot array that
included a focal plot and four peripheral subplots in the
cardinal directions. At each validation subplot, global
positioning system data were collected, a complete species
list was created and each species was assigned a categorical
ranking of abundance, and each subplot was assigned to a
vegetation community using a field key generated from 2008
statistical results.
Draft polygon delineations also were completed for the INL
Site in 2009. In the fall of 2009, the investigators drove
many of the roads across the INL Site and visited
observation points to identify what communities were within
the map polygons. Using the ground observation data, the
initial delineations were revised where appropriate, and the
investigators began assigning community class labels to all
polygons in the map.
In 2010, the plant community classifications will be
completed, and a list of plant communities occurring on the
INL Site will be finalized and cross-walked to the National
Vegetation Classification System. An updated key to plant
communities in the INL Site also will be generated. Plant
community descriptions will be written to accompany the
final map. The final vegetation community map will be
completed in spring 2010, and the accuracy assessment stage
will follow.
