Progress 07/30/05 to 07/29/10
Outputs
Progress Report Objectives (from AD-416) The Agricultural Research Service would provide expertise and technical assistance in the application of remote sensing of vegetation in support of restoration, rehabilitation and range management applications. Approach (from AD-416) NWRC, in cooperation with the University of Idaho and Utah State University, will contract a LiDAR remote sensing flight that will yield high resolution digital elevation and vegetation (juniper) canopy data for 8 research watersheds and selected transects in the South Mountain and Juniper Mountain area of southwestern Owyhee County, Idaho. Vegetation height, cover and canopy characteristics will be evaluated relative to ground truth measurements of vegetation using new data generated by NWRC and previous survey data obtained by the University of Idaho, Oregon State University and recent BLM remote sensing overflights. Documents Reimbursable with BLM. Log 29511. Formerly 5362-13610-007-07R (6/08). The following results were obtained over the 5 years of this project. All Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) flight data were processed into point- cloud data representing laser hits on soil and vegetation at the Reynolds Creek Experimental Watershed, South Mountain Watersheds, Juniper Mountain Restoration area and Dry Creek Watershed. These data were used to evaluate the utility of LiDAR for measuring individual crown characteristics of conifers, woody shrubs, aspen and grassland communities. Four journal articles have been submitted (1 accepted,1 tentatively accepted pending minor revision, and 2 in review)with the following results: Vegetation type and slope have been determined to have significant effects on the accuracy of both vegetation measurements (such as crown size and shape) and on the accuracy of the underlying digital elevation model of ground topography. There are larger errors on steeper slopes, and for lower-lying vegetation, and these errors are of similar magnitude to the height of the low-lying vegetation. LiDAR technology will need to improve somewhat for error adjustment to be achievable through automated processes that can be applied to large spatial datasets. LiDAR classification of larger vegetation, such as western juniper, is relatively accurate; however, this remote sensing technology systematically underestimates both vegetation height and volume. This effect, however, can be compensated with additional field measurements for calibrating LiDAR estimates. LiDAR measurements were successfully fused with hyperspectral remote sensing data to correctly classify juniper presence, and the trajectory of juniper invasion at multiple sites in southwestern Idaho. Additional studies are currently continuing to develop computer algorithms to detect individual juniper trees in overlapping canopy zones; to classify juniper crown classes into shape categories that are associated with different levels of invasion-phase; to detect juniper invasion into existing Aspen communities; and to test current juniper-invasion models over a very large spatial domain. These tools will assist land management agencies, such as the Bureau of Land Management, in prioritizing juniper control treatments throughout the western United States. Western juniper alone now dominates over 8.5 million acres of sagebrush-bunchgrass rangeland in Idaho, Oregon, Nevada and California. Over 90% of these invading plants have expanded outside of their natural habitat as a result of poor grazing management in the previous century, and fire suppression activities that reduce natural control systems. Expansion of western juniper has reduced rangeland values for wildlife habitat and livestock production, and caused significant loss of soil material by reducing surface protection from erosive rainfall events. Research progress and status was reported via email and periodic conference calls. The agreement was established in support of Sub-Objective 2.C. of the in-house project, the goal being to develop and test the suitability of LiDAR remote-sensing products for monitoring juniper cover and juniper invasion patterns in sagebrush- steppe plant communities.
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Progress 10/01/08 to 09/30/09
Outputs
Progress Report Objectives (from AD-416) The Agricultural Research Service would provide expertise and technical assistance in the application of remote sensing of vegetation in support of restoration, rehabilitation and range management applications. Approach (from AD-416) NWRC, in cooperation with the University of Idaho and Utah State University, will contract a LiDAR remote sensing flight that will yield high resolution digital elevation and vegetation (juniper) canopy data for 8 research watersheds and selected transects in the South Mountain and Juniper Mountain area of southwestern Owyhee County, Idaho. Vegetation height, cover and canopy characteristics will be evaluated relative to ground truth measurements of vegetation using new data generated by NWRC and previous survey data obtained by the University of Idaho, Oregon State University and recent BLM remote sensing overflights. Documents Reimbursable with BLM. Log 29511. Formerly 5362-13610-007-07R (6/08). Significant Activities that Support Special Target Populations All Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) flight data has been processed into point-cloud data representing laser hits on vegetation in the Reynolds Creek Experimental Watershed, South Mountain Watersheds, Juniper Mountain Restoration area, and Dry Creek Watersheds. In FY2009, ARS scientists at the Northwest Watershed Research Center (NWRC) processed 30 x 30 m ground-truth plot data and measured Juniper-age distribution by examining tree-ring data from samples collected at Reynolds Creek. LiDAR and ground measurements of Douglas-fir trees were compared and a journal article submitted examining efficiency of LiDAR at estimating horizontal crown characteristics, and the ability of LiDAR data to identify trunk locations of individual trees. This data is currently being used to parameterize models for predicting juniper invasion phase, and the trajectory of expanding populations. NWRC is also devising new strategies for detecting ground elevations through dense shrub stands that appear to be relatively opaque to the LiDAR signal. Current efforts are producing high-quality digital elevation models for hydrologic models, evaluating the utility of LiDAR data for monitoring snow depth, and parameterizing hydrologic models with plant canopy information. Research progress and status are reported via periodic conference calls, regular email and meetings held at NWRC. This project directly supports accomplishment of CRIS sub-objective 2.C: Develop and test the suitability of LiDAR remote- sensing products for monitoring juniper cover and juniper invasion patterns in sagebrush-steppe plant communities.
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Progress 10/01/07 to 09/30/08
Outputs
Progress Report Objectives (from AD-416) The Agricultural Research Service would provide expertise and technical assistance in the application of remote sensing of vegetation in support of restoration, rehabilitation and range management applications. Approach (from AD-416) NWRC, in cooperation with the University of Idaho and Utah State University, will contract a LiDAR remote sensing flight that will yield high resolution digital elevation and vegetation (juniper) canopy data for 8 research watersheds and selected transects in the South Mountain and Juniper Mountain area of southwestern Owyhee County, Idaho. Vegetation height, cover and canopy characteristics will be evaluated relative to ground truth measurements of vegetation using new data generated by NWRC and previous survey data obtained by the University of Idaho, Oregon State University and recent BLM remote sensing overflights. Documents Reimbursable with BLM. Log 29511. Significant Activities that Support Special Target Populations The LiDAR flight scheduled for the previous fiscal year was implemented in October, 2007. Data were delivered to the USFS-RMRS in Moscow, Idaho and processed for distribution to project cooperators in February 2008. In FY2008, the NWRC has continued to monitor field plots to characterized detailed canopy characteristics to provide ground-truth validation of LiDAR remote sensing products. Research progress under this project is coordinated through periodic conference calls and correspondence via an email list of project cooperators. These data will be used to evaluate the utility of LiDAR for monitoring juniper distribution and invasion trajectories; to provide detailed topographic information and canopy layers for hydrologic modeling; establish height detection thresholds for LiDAR measurement of grass, shrub and tree canopies; to provide data- fusion remote sensing products in combination with hyperspectral and NAIP remote-sensing data; and to evaluate future LiDAR performance specifications necessary to adapt this technology to additional rangeland management applications. This project directly supports the accomplishment of CRIS Sub-objective 2.C. Develop and test the suitability of LiDAR remote-sensing products for monitoring juniper cover and juniper invasion patterns in sagebrush-steppe plant communities.
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Progress 10/01/06 to 09/30/07
Outputs
Progress Report Objectives (from AD-416) The Agricultural Research Service would provide expertise and technical assistance in the application of remote sensing of vegetation in support of restoration, rehabilitation and range management applications. Approach (from AD-416) NWRC, in cooperation with the University of Idaho and Utah State University, will contract a LiDAR remote sensing flight that will yield high resolution digital elevation and vegetation (juniper) canopy data for 8 research watersheds and selected transects in the South Mountain and Juniper Mountain area of southwestern Owyhee County, Idaho. Vegetation height, cover and canopy characteristics will be evaluated relative to ground truth measurements of vegetation using new data generated by NWRC and previous survey data obtained by the University of Idaho, Oregon State University and recent BLM remote sensing overflights. Documents Reimbursable with BLM. Log 29511. Significant Activities that Support Special Target Populations GREAT BASIN RESTORATION INITIATIVE REMOTE SENSING PROJECT: This report serves to document research conducted under a reimbursable agreement with the Bureau of Land Management. Additional details of research can be found in the report for the parent CRIS 5362-13610-007-00D Rangeland Assessment, Management and Restoration. The LiDAR flight scheduled for the end of FY2006 was delayed due to late delivery of the monitoring instrument, and the rescheduled flight for early summer of 2007 was delayed due to a plane crash of the LiDAR airplane prior to conducting our scheduled flight. The LiDAR flight is currently planned for completion at the end of FY2007 through a subcontract with another vendor. Geo-referencing of ground control points was completed to within 5-cm horizontal resolution by NWRC in cooperation with the Idaho State BLM Cadastral Survey; and ground-truth monitoring of vegetation completed in FY2007 for sagebrush, aspen and juniper dominated ecosystems in Reynolds Creek, South Mountain and Juniper Mountain study areas. A large wildfire destroyed all vegetation within parts of the Red Canyon and Upper Smith Creek watersheds in July, 2007. Should the rescheduled flight continue as planned, data analysis by cooperators at the USFS-RMRS in Moscow, ID, and comparison of LiDAR and ground-measured data will be initiated in FY2008. Research progress under this project is coordinated through periodic conference calls and correspondence via an email list of project cooperators.
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Progress 10/01/05 to 09/30/06
Outputs
Progress Report 4d Progress report. GREAT BASIN RESTORATION INITIATIVE REMOTE SENSING PROJECT: This report serves to document research conducted under a reimbursable agreement with the Bureau of Land Management. Additional details of research can be found in the report for the parent CRIS 5362-13610-007-00D Rangeland Assessment, Management and Restoration. In FY2006, a LiDAR flight was conducted over the Reynolds Creek Experimental Watershed, South Mountain Juniper Hydrology Project watersheds, and the Juniper Mountain Restoration Area in Owyhee County, Idaho. The purpose of this flight was to develop a high-resolution digital elevation map of watersheds in the NWRC juniper management and prescribed-fire study areas, and to gather data on canopy characteristics and topography in sagebrush-bunchgrass areas impacted by high densities of western juniper. The data will be analyzed to evaluate LiDAR as a tool for monitoring juniper invasion status relative to other remote
sensing products and ground-truth data.
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