Terrestrial vegetation monitoring at Cape Hatteras National Seashore: 2019 data summary

The Southeast Coast Network (SECN) conducts long-term terrestrial vegetation monitoring as part of the nationwide Inventory and Monitoring Program of the National Park Service (NPS). The vegetation community vital sign is one of the primary-tier resources identified by SECN park managers, and monitoring is currently conducted at 15 network parks (DeVivo et al. 2008). Monitoring plants and their associated communities over time allows for targeted understanding of ecosystems within the SECN geography, which provides managers information about the degree of change within their parks’ natural vegetation. The first year of conducting this monitoring effort at four SECN parks, including 52 plots on Cape Hatteras National Seashore (CAHA), was 2019. Twelve vegetation plots were established at Cape Hatteras NS in July and August. Data collected in each plot included species richness across multiple spatial scales, species-specific cover and constancy, species-specific woody stem seedling/sapling counts and adult tree (greater than 10 centimeters [3.9 inches {in}]) diameter at breast height (DBH), overall tree health, landform, soil, observed disturbance, and woody biomass (i.e., fuel load) estimates. This report summarizes the baseline (year 1) terrestrial vegetation data collected at Cape Hatteras National Seashore in 2019. Data were stratified across four dominant broadly defined habitats within the park (Maritime Tidal Wetlands, Maritime Nontidal Wetlands, Maritime Open Uplands, and Maritime Upland Forests and Shrublands) and four land parcels (Bodie Island, Buxton, Hatteras Island, and Ocracoke Island). Noteworthy findings include: A total of 265 vascular plant taxa (species or lower) were observed across 52 vegetation plots, including 13 species not previously documented within the park. The most frequently encountered species in each broadly defined habitat included: Maritime Tidal Wetlands: saltmeadow cordgrass Spartina patens), swallow-wort (Pattalias palustre), and marsh fimbry (Fimbristylis castanea) Maritime Nontidal Wetlands: common wax-myrtle (Morella cerifera), saltmeadow cordgrass, eastern poison ivy (Toxicodendron radicans var. radicans), and saw greenbriar (Smilax bona-nox) Maritime Open Uplands: sea oats (Uniola paniculata), dune camphorweed (Heterotheca subaxillaris), and seabeach evening-primrose (Oenothera humifusa) Maritime Upland Forests and Shrublands: : loblolly pine (Pinus taeda), southern/eastern red cedar (Juniperus silicicola + virginiana), common wax-myrtle, and live oak (Quercus virginiana). Five invasive species identified as either a Severe Threat (Rank 1) or Significant Threat (Rank 2) to native plants by the North Carolina Native Plant Society (Buchanan 2010) were found during this monitoring effort. These species (and their overall frequency of occurrence within all plots) included: alligatorweed (Alternanthera philoxeroides; 2%), Japanese honeysuckle (Lonicera japonica; 10%), Japanese stilt-grass (Microstegium vimineum; 2%), European common reed (Phragmites australis; 8%), and common chickweed (Stellaria media; 2%). Eighteen rare species tracked by the North Carolina Natural Heritage Program (Robinson 2018) were found during this monitoring effort, including two species—cypress panicgrass (Dichanthelium caerulescens) and Gulf Coast spikerush (Eleocharis cellulosa)—listed as State Endangered by the Plant Conservation Program of the North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (NCPCP 2010). Southern/eastern red cedar was a dominant species within the tree stratum of both Maritime Nontidal Wetland and Maritime Upland Forest and Shrubland habitat types. Other dominant tree species within CAHA forests included loblolly pine, live oak, and Darlington oak (Quercus hemisphaerica). One hundred percent of the live swamp bay (Persea palustris) trees measured in these plots were experiencing declining vigor and observed with symptoms like those caused by laurel wilt......less

Terrestrial vegetation monitoring at Fort Pulaski National Monument: 2019 data summary

The Southeast Coast Network (SECN) conducts long-term terrestrial vegetation monitoring as part of the nationwide Inventory and Monitoring Program of the National Park Service (NPS). The vegetation community vital sign is one of the primary-tier resources identified by SECN park managers, and monitoring is currently conducted at 15 network parks (DeVivo et al. 2008). Monitoring plants and their associated communities over time allows for targeted understanding of ecosystems within the SECN geography, which provides managers information about the degree of change within their parks’ natural vegetation. 2019 marks the first year of conducting this monitoring effort on four SECN parks, including Fort Pulaski National Monument (FOPU). Twelve vegetation plots were established at Fort Pulaski National Monument in August. Data collected in each plot included species richness across multiple spatial scales, species-specific cover and constancy, species-specific woody stem seedling/sapling counts and adult tree (greater than 10 centimeters [3.9 inches {in}]) diameter at breast height (DBH), overall tree health, landform, soil, observed disturbance, and woody biomass (i.e., fuel load) estimates. This report summarizes the baseline (year 1) terrestrial vegetation data collected at Fort Pulaski National Monument in 2019. Data were stratified across two dominant broadly defined habitats within the park (Maritime Tidal Wetlands and Maritime Upland Forests and Shrublands). Noteworthy findings include: Sixty-six vascular plant taxa were observed across 12 vegetation plots, including six taxa not previously known from the park. Plots were located on both Cockspur and McQueen’s Island. The most frequently encountered species in each broadly defined habitat included: Maritime Tidal Wetlands: smooth cordgrass (Spartina alterniflora), perennial saltmarsh aster(Symphyotrichum enuifolium), and groundsel tree (Baccharis halimifolia) Maritime Upland Forests and Shrublands: yaupon (Ilex vomitoria), southern/eastern red cedar (Juniperus silicicola + virginiana), and cabbage palmetto (Sabal palmetto). Four non-native species identified as invasive by the Georgia Exotic Pest Plant Council (GA-EPPC 2018) were found during this monitoring effort. These species (and their overall frequency of occurrence within all plots) included: Japanese honeysuckle (Lonicera japonica; 17%), bahiagrass (Paspalum notatum; 8%), Vasey’s grass (Paspalum urvillei; 8%), and European common reed (Phragmites australis; 8%). Two rare plants tracked by the Georgia Department of Natural Resources (GADNR 2013) were found during this monitoring effort. These include Florida wild privet (Forestiera segregata) and Bosc’s bluet (Oldenlandia boscii). Southern/eastern red cedar and cabbage palmetto were the most dominant species within the tree stratum of the maritime Upland Forest and Shrubland habitat type. Species that dominated the sapling and seedling strata of this type included yaupon, cabbage palmetto, groundsel tree, and Carolina laurel cherry (Prunus caroliniana). The health status of sugarberry (Celtis laevigata)—a typical canopy species in maritime forests of the South Atlantic Coastal Plain--observed on park plots appeared to be in decline, with most stems experiencing elevated levels of dieback and low vigor. Over the past decade, this species has been experiencing unexplained high rates of dieback and mortality throughout its range in the Southeastern United States; current research is focusing on what may be causing these alarming die-off patterns. Duff and litter made up the majority of downed woody biomass (fuel loads) across FOPU vegetation plots.

A Handheld Grassland Vegetation Monitoring System Based on Multispectral Imaging

Monitoring grassland vegetation growth is of vital importance to scientific grazing and grassland management. People expect to be able to use a portable device, like a mobile phone, to monitor grassland vegetation growth at any time. In this paper, we propose a handheld grassland vegetation monitoring system to achieve the goal of monitoring grassland vegetation growth. The system includes two parts: the hardware unit is a hand-held multispectral imaging tool named ASQ-Discover based on a smartphone, which has six bands (wavelengths)—including three visible bands (450 nm, 550 nm, 650 nm), a red-edge band (750 nm), and two near-infrared bands (850 nm, 960 nm). The imagery data of each band has a size of 5120 × 3840 pixels with 8-bit depth. The software unit improves image quality through vignetting removal, radiometric calibration, and misalignment correction and estimates and analyzes spectral traits of grassland vegetation (Fresh Grass Ratio (FGR), NDVI, NDRE, BNDVI, GNDVI, OSAVI and TGI) that are indicators of vegetation growth in grassland. We introduce the hardware and software unit in detail, and we also experiment in five pastures located in Haiyan County, Qinghai Province. Our experimental results show that the handheld grassland vegetation growth monitoring system has the potential to revolutionize the grassland monitoring that operators can conduct when using a hand-held tool to achieve the tasks of grassland vegetation growth monitoring.

Evaluating the Performance of Palmer Drought Severity Index (PDSI) In Various Vegetation Regions of the Ethiopian Highlands

This paper focuses on the environment of Ethiopia, a country highly sensitive to droughts severely affecting vegetation. Vegetation monitoring of Ethiopian Highlands requires visualization of environmental parameters to assess droughts negatively influencing agricultural sustainable management of crops. Therefore, this study presented mapping of several climate and environmental variables including Palmer Drought Severity Index (PDSI). The data were visualized and interpreted alongside the topographic data to evaluate the environmental conditions for vegetation. The datasets included WorldClim and GEBCO and Digital Chart of the World (DCW). Research has threefold objectives: i) environmental mapping; ii) technical cartographic scripting; iii) data processing. Following variables were visualized on seven new maps: 1) topography; 2) soil moisture; 3) T °C minimum; 4) T °C maximum; 5) Wind speed; 6) Precipitation; 7) Palmer Drought Severity Index (PDSI). New high-resolution thematic environmental maps are presented and the utility of GMT for mapping multi-source datasets is described. With varying degrees of soil moisture (mean value of 15.0), min T°C (−1.8°C to 24°C), max T°C (14.4°C to 40.2°C) and wind speed (0.1 to 6.1 m/s), the maps demonstrate the variability of the PDSI fields over the country area (from −11.7 to 2.3) induced by the complex sum of these variables and intensified by the topographic effects notable over the Ethiopian Highlands which can be used for vegetation analysis. The paper presents seven new maps and contributes to the environmental studies of Ethiopia.

Variasi Umur Tanaman Reklamasi Terhadap Struktur dan Komposisi Vegetasi di Areal Reklamasi Tambang PT Kideco Jaya Agung, Paser, Kalimantan Timur

Salah satu indikator yang digunakan untuk mengukur keberhasilan kegiatan reklamasi adalah dengan cara menghitung jumlah jenis vegetasi yang tumbuh pada areal reklamasi tersebut. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengkaji variasi umur tanaman terhadap struktur dan komposisi vegetasi di areal reklamasi tambang (KRPT) PT Kideco Jaya Agung (PT KJA), Paser, Kalimantan Timur melalui kegiatan monitoring dan evaluasi vegetasi tahunan. Lokasi studi mencakup 13 (tiga belas) KRPT dengan umur tanaman 1-13 tahun. Nilai kerapatan vegetasi tertinggi pada masing-masing kategori adalah 1.125 individu/ha (KRPT umur 12 tahun) untuk tingkat pohon, 650 individu/ha (KRPT umur 10 tahun) untuk tingkat pancang dan 525 individu/ha (KRPT umur 8 tahun) untuk tingkat semai. Hasil penelitian ini juga menunjukkan bahwa terdapat 51 jenis vegetasi yang berasal dari 22 famili tanaman ditemukan pada areal konsesi PT KJA site Roto Samurangau. Dimana 32 diantaranya merupakan jenis tanaman yang tumbuh secara alami, sedangkan 19 jenis vegetasi lainnya merupakan jenis tanaman pokok. Berdasarkan variasi nilai kuantitatif pada masing-masing lokasi yang diamati, tidak tampak bahwa semakin tua umur tanaman, maka semakin tinggi pula nilai kerapatan vegetasi, basal area, dan kehadiran jenisnya. Namun, meskipun secara umum menurun, keragaman jenis pohon pada tanaman reklamasi yang lebih tua cenderung lebih beragam. Hal tersebut dikarenakan berbedanya situasi dan kondisi masing-masing KRPT yang diamati, seperti perbedaan kondisi tanah, jenis tanaman, dan jarak lokasi studi dengan hutan alam. Berdasarkan hasil identifikasi dan inventarisasi yang dilakukan pada penelitian ini diketahui bahwa KRPT dengan umur tanam 12 tahun memiliki komposisi vegetasi yang paling beragam, dimana dari 19 jenis vegetasi, 14 diantaranya merupakan jenis tanaman yang tumbuh secara alami. ABSTRACTThe one indicator used to measure the reclamation succession activities is by calculating the number of vegetation species that grow in reclamation area. This study aimed to determined the variations in plant age on the vegetation structure and composition in the mine reclamation area (KRPT) of PT Kideco Jaya Agung (PT KJA), Paser, East Kalimantan through annual vegetation monitoring and evaluation activities. The study sites cover 13 (thirteen) KRPTs with a plant age of 1-13 years. The highest vegetation density values in each category were 1,125 individuals/ha (12 years old KRPT) for the tree level, 650 individuals/ha (10 years old KRPT) for the sapling level and 525 individuals/ha (8 years old KRPT) for the seedling level. Present study also showed that there were 51 species of vegetation from 22 plant families found in the concession area of PT KJA, 32 are naturally species while others 19 species are main vegetation. Based on the variation of quantitative values at each location observed, it was not appeared that the older plant age affected to the higher value of vegetation density, basal area, and species presence. However, although it was generally declined, tree species diversity in older reclaimed plants tended to be more diverse. This is probably due to the different situations and conditions of each observed KRPT, such as differences in soil conditions, plant species, and the distance between study site and natural forest. The result of plant species identification and inventory showed that KRPT with a planting age of 12 years had the most diverse vegetation composition, where from 19 species there are 14 species of them grown naturally

Central Yamal vegetation monitoring based on Sentinel-2 and Sentinel-1 imagery

In this study fusion of optical (Sentinel-2) and radar (Sentinel-1) imagery is presented for vegetation cover classification in polar Arctic environment of the Western Siberia. Sentinel-1 and Sentinel-2 images were analyzed using parametric rule classification. Results showed significantly improved land cover classification results based on contextual analysis. Synergy of Sentinel-2 bands 4 and 3 and Sentinel-1 dual polarization VV and VH images increased the classification accuracy significantly. Specifically, classification accuracy increased for two classes — Erect dwarf-shrub tundra with 6% and Fresh Water with 10%. The classification accuracy as well test sites were analyzed using in situ data collected during three fieldwork campaigns in August-September (2016–2018) in the surrounding of Bovanenkovo settlement.

Normalized Cross Correlation Template Matching for Oil Palm Tree Counting from UAV image

Tree crown detection and counting from remote sensing data such as images from Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) shows significant role in this modern era for vegetation monitoring. Since the data processing would depends on raw data available and for this case the RGB data, thus a suitable method such as template matching is presented. Normalized cross correlation is widely used as an effective measure in similarity between template image and the source or testing images. This paper focuses on six (6) steps involved in the overall process which are: (1) image acquisition, (2) template optimisation, (3) normalized cross correlation, (4) sliding window, (5) matched image and counting, and (6) accuracy assessment. Normalized cross correlation and sliding window techniques proposed for this work resulted in 80% to 89% F-measure values. This result indicates that UAV image data with appropriate image processing method/s have the potential to provide vital information for oil palm tree counting. This would be beneficial in plantation management to estimate yield and productivity. However, there are still rooms for improvement to achieve better results.

Recent Progress on Vegetation Remote Sensing Using Spaceborne GNSS-Reflectometry

Vegetation is an important part of the terrestrial ecosystem and plays a vital role in the global carbon cycle. Traditional remote sensing methods have certain limitations in vegetation monitoring, and the development of GNSS-R (Global Navigation Satellite System-Reflectometry) technology provides a new and complimentary method. With the CYGNSS (Cyclone Global Navigation Satellite System) launch and the increased data acquisition, the use of spaceborne GNSS-R for vegetation monitoring has become a research hotspot. However, due to the complex characteristics of vegetation, its application in this field is still in the exploratory research stage. On the basis of reviewing the current research status, this paper points out the weak links of this technology in terms of polarization and observation geometry. Combined with the microwave vegetation scattering model, this paper analyzes the full polarization bistatic scattering characteristics of vegetation and points out the influence of vegetation parameters (density, water content, and vegetation diameters). The potential feasibility of polarization GNSS-R and future development trends of GNSS-R technology in quantitative retrieval (such as vegetation water content and biomass) are also discussed.