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ARS Home » Pacific West Area » Burns, Oregon » Range and Meadow Forage Management Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #329571
Title: Estimating juniper cover from NAIP imagery and evaluating relationships between potential cover and environmental variables

Author
item JOHNSON, DUSTIN - Oregon State University
item Davies, Kirk
item Bates, Jonathan - Jon

Submitted to: Oregon Agriculture Experiment Station Special Report
Publication Type: Experiment Station
Publication Acceptance Date: 6/7/2016
Publication Date: 7/1/2016
Citation: Johnson, D.D., Davies, K.W., Bates, J.D. 2016. Estimating juniper cover from NAIP imagery and evaluating relationships between potential cover and environmental variables. Ecology and Hydrology of Western Juniper Range Field Day 2016. Oregon State University Special Report. p. 22-28.

Interpretive Summary: Juniper management is constrained by limited tools to estimate juniper cover and potential cover at stand closure across landscapes. We evaluated if remotely sensed imagery (NAIP) could be used to estimate juniper cover and if environmental characteristic could be used to determine potential juniper cover at stand closure. We determined that reasonably accurate estimates of western juniper cover can be obtained from NAIP imagery. We also found that environmental characteristics could explain 40% of the variability in juniper cover at stand closure.

Technical Abstract: Juniper management is constrained by limited tools to estimate juniper cover and potential cover at stand closure across landscapes. We evaluated if remotely sensed imagery (NAIP) could be used to estimate juniper cover and if environmental characteristic could be used to determine potential juniper cover at stand closure. We determined that reasonably accurate estimates of western juniper cover can be obtained from NAIP imagery. We also found that environmental characteristics could explain 40% of the variability in juniper cover at stand closure.