Date of Award:

12-2012

Document Type:

Thesis

Degree Name:

Master of Science (MS)

Department:

Wildland Resources

Committee Chair(s)

R. Douglas Ramsey

Committee

R. Douglas Ramsey

Committee

Janis L. Boettinger

Committee

Eugene W. Schupp

Abstract

Within the Intermountain West, vast expanses of big sagebrush shrubland and steppe are considered emblems of the western range. Currently, there are approximately 60 million hectares of big sagebrush within the 11 western states, four million of which are in the state of Utah. However, the historic distribution of sagebrush has been impacted by conversion to other types of land cover through juniper encroachment, urbanization, invasive weeds, and agricultural expansion. In Utah alone, big sagebrush communities have been reduced to approximately 55% of their historic extent. A primary and current example of the cumulative impact of big sagebrush loss is the eminent listing of the Sage Grouse as an endangered species. This potential listing will force land management agencies to impose strict guidelines for future development of sagebrush-dominated landscapes. These growing pressures have led to a need to accurately estimate the actual and potential spatial distribution of sagebrush shrubland and steppe and their current ecological condition.

The Utah State University Remote Sensing and Geographic Information Systems laboratory proposed a two-year study to develop and demonstrate methods of ecological assessment using satellite and aerial imagery. This project will show how common remote sensing tools can help in the identification of unique ecological sites across an entire landscape. Ecological site descriptions describe the historic plant communities and soils that existed on an ecological site (ES). Therefore, classifying ESs will allow land managers to understand the potential vegetation communities that can exist at a site.

Because much of the historic vegetation in the Intermountain West has changed to alternative land cover types, it is also important to assess the current vegetation condition of the landscape. A remote sensing based classification was used to identify the ecological state of Wyoming big sagebrush communities. A method of calculating the probability of an area belonging to the Wyoming big sagebrush ES will also be explained.

The methodology described in this research will be easily replicated by those with minimal training in remote sensing techniques. It is expected that these methods will benefit both public and private land managers as they seek to produce sustainable policies.

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Comments

This work made publicly available electronically on December 21, 2012.

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