Tamarisk Mapping and Monitoring Using High Resolution Satellite Imagery

Abstract

QuickBird high resolution multispectral satellite imagery (60 cm GSD, 4 spectral bands) and calibrated products from DigitalGlobe’s AgroWatch program were used as inputs to Visual Learning System’s Feature Analyst automated feature extraction software to map localized occurrences of pervasive and aggressive Tamarisk (Tamarix ramosissima), an invasive species found along riparian corridors throughout the Western United States. Mapping was carried out along two major river systems known for widespread tamarisk invasions (Colorado River near Grand Junction, CO & Rio Grande River near Albuquerque, NM) using imagery acquired in late Fall, 2003. Mapped tamarisk occurrences were conservative, because only tamarisk vegetation with spatial areas greater than 10 square meters were classified and senesced tamarisk were not taken into account. Classification accuracies were greater than 80 percent based on ground verified data. Overall, these results confirm that high spatial but low spectral resolution remote sensing data coupled with machine learning classifiers can be used effectively for local precision mapping of tamarisk in dominant environments found in riparian landscapes.

Parent Publication

• Monitoring Science and Technology Symposium: Unifying Knowledge for Sustainability in the Western Hemisphere

Citation

San Souci, Jason W.; Doyle, John T. 2006. Tamarisk Mapping and Monitoring Using High Resolution Satellite Imagery. In: Aguirre-Bravo, C.; Pellicane, Patrick J.; Burns, Denver P.; and Draggan, Sidney, Eds. 2006. Monitoring Science and Technology Symposium: Unifying Knowledge for Sustainability in the Western Hemisphere Proceedings RMRS-P-42CD. Fort Collins, CO: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station. p. 213-215