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VEGETATION CLASSIFICATION
AND MAPPING
OF
NEW RIVER GORGE NATIONAL RIVER,
WEST VIRGINIA
Technical Report NPS/NER/NRTR—2007/092
James P. Vanderhorst1, James Jeuck2,
and Susan C. Gawler3
1West Virginia Natural Heritage Program
WV Division of Natural Resources,
Wildlife Resources Section
PO Box 67
Elkins, WV 26241
2Center for Earth Observation
North Carolina State University
5112 Jordan Hall, Box 7106
Raleigh, NC 27695
3NatureServe
Eastern Regional Office
11 Avenue de Lafayette, 5th Floor
Boston, MA 02111
August 2007
U.S. Department of the Interior
National Park Service
Northeast Region
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
____________________________
Executive
Summary
A vegetation classification and map were developed by the West Virginia Natural Heritage Program for New River Gorge National River following the standards of the U.S. Geological Survey / National Park Service Vegetation Mapping Program. These standards include a minimum mapping unit of 0.5 ha (1.2 ac) and classification accuracy of 80% or greater for each map class. The U.S. National Vegetation Classification was used as the classification standard.
Classification
was based in part on complete floristic data from 277 plots. Plots were
stratified to cover the geographic and ecological ranges within the
park. Multivariate analyses of plot data included hierarchical agglomerative
cluster analysis, non-metric multidimensional scaling, and indicator
species analysis. The vegetation classification for the park was cross-walked
to the U.S. National Vegetation Classification in consultation with
NatureServe. The vegetation classification for the park consists of
41 community types (39 associations in the U.S. National Vegetation
Classification) including 16 upland forest and woodland types, one lichen
type, one sparse vegetation type, 15 riparian types, five headwater
wetland types, and three cultural types.
A digital vegetation map was produced as a personal geodatabase using
Environmental Systems Research Institute ArcGIS software. The base layer
for vegetation mapping was a digital orthophoto mosaic of the park developed
by North Carolina State University from color infra-red aerial photography
flown for this project in April 2003. The geodatabase includes separate
point feature classes for plots, transects, and observations, and polygon
feature classes (clipped and unclipped by the park boundary) for vegetation
and non-vegetated map classes.
The vegetation map consists of 47 map classes, including 15 upland forest
and woodland\ vegetation types, one lichen and sparse vegetation type,
15 riparian vegetation types, two headwater wetland vegetation types,
three aquatic feature types, eight cultural and disturbed types, and
three transportation feature types. Most map classes for natural and
semi-natural vegetation represent individual community types. One map
class is predominantly one community type (Sugar Maple - Yellow buckeye
- American Basswood Forest) but may have a few inclusions of another
community type (Successional Tuliptree / Northern Spicebush Forest)
greater than the minimum mapping unit. Four composite map classes (Beaver-influenced
Wetland, Cliff, Steep Riparian Edge, and Successional Tuliptree Forest)
represent multiple community types. Map classes for aquatic features,
cultural and disturbed areas, and transportation features do not correspond
to community types in the vegetation classification.
Approximately 83% of the park is occupied by upland deciduous forests,
and a large proportion of this is occupied by three major community
types. The Sugar Maple - Yellow Buckeye - American Basswood Forest occupies
moist, fertile sites on concave, lower, and northerly facing colluvial
gorge slopes and has higher ecological amplitude on shale-derived soils.
The Oak - Hickory Forest occupies dryer, less fertile sites and predominates
on upper gorge slopes and on plateaus with residual soils derived primarily
from sandstone. The Oak - Hickory - Sugar Maple Forest is intermediate
and predominates on southerly facing, convex, and upper colluvial gorge
slopes and on northerly aspects on the plateaus. Smaller, but significant,
areas of upland are occupied by Oak / Ericad Forest, Eastern Hemlock
- Sweet Birch - Tuliptree / Great Laurel Forest, Deciduous Tree / Great
Laurel Forest, and successional forest types. Small patchcommunities
associated with cliffs, riparian zones, wetlands, and other specialized
habitats cover a small area but represent a large proportion of the
ecological and species diversity in the park. Several community types
(Chinquapin Oak - Black Maple Forest, Cliff Top Pitch Pine Woodland,
Cliff Top Virginia Pine Forest, Eastern Hemlock - Chestnut Oak / Catawba
Rhododendron Forest, Yellow Birch Cold Cove Forest, Dry Sandstone Cliff,
Black Willow Slackwater Woodland, Eastern Red-cedar - Virginia Pine
Flatrock Woodland, Lizard’s-tail Backwater Slough, Oak - Tuliptree
/ Mountain Silverbell Floodplain Forest, Riverscour Prairie, Sycamore
- Ash Floodplain Forest, Sycamore - River Birch Riverscour Woodland,
and Forest Seep) are likely to be state or globally rare.
Spatial and thematic accuracy assessments were performed by North Carolina
State University. Thematic accuracy of 19 map classes was assessed,
excluding classes for some rare natural vegetation types and all cultural
and non-vegetated areas and features. Producer’s and user’s
accuracy of individual map classes ranged from 84.6–100%. Overall
thematic accuracy of the vegetation map was estimated to be 96.2%.
__________________________
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pdf
1
Front matter through Appendix C: Standard accuracy assessment form for
USGS-NPS Vegetation Mapping Program
pdf
2
Appendix D: Examples of photographs taken at thematic accuracy assessment
points in New River Gorge National River
pdf
3
Appendix E: Vascular and non-vascular plant taxa found in plots, transect
points, mapping zones, and accuracy assessment points in New River Gorge
National River
through
Appendix K: State and Global
conservation status rank definitions