/PVMM-FAQ_V10_Compressed

Predicted Vegetation Maps for Ecodistrict 6e10 and the Greater Park Ecosystem (GPE) Area for St. Lawrence Islands National Park Frequently Asked Questions This document provides questions and answers regarding the vegetation maps for Eco-district 6e10 and the St. Lawrence Islands National Park Greater Park Ecosystem (GPE) and their appropriate use.

What is this product?

This product is a digital atlas containing over 180 vegetation and habitat related maps.

The various maps contained in the product are in raster (grid) format at a 10m resolution. All of the maps are organized in folders that can be easily navigated by following the documents and readme files contained in the individual folders or in the main document folder “6e10_documents�.

What variables are mapped by this product?

Variables mapped in the Ecodistrict 6e10/St. Lawrence Islands GPE product include vegetation structural variables such as canopy cover and basal area, and species composition including dominant canopy and ground species presence and abundance.

Various vegetation classes have also been mapped, such as ELC Vegetation Types, wetland classes, and rock barrens. Soil moisture has also been predicted.

Thumbnail images of the various folders containing maps for the Ecodistrict 6e10/St. Lawrence Islands GPE product.

What is the extent of the Ecodistrict 6e10/St. Lawrence Islands GPE product?

The mapping product covers all of Ecodistrict 6e10, plus the entire Greater Park Ecosystem (GPE) area of Saint Lawrence Islands National Park. The total area covered by this mapping product is 2467 km2.

The extent of the Ecodistrict 6e10/St. Lawrence Islands GPE vegetation mapping product.

1

Predicted Vegetation Maps for Ecodistrict 6e10 and the Greater Park Ecosystem (GPE) Area for St. Lawrence Islands National Park Frequently Asked Questions Why were the predicted vegetation maps for Ecodistrict 6e10/St. Lawrence Islands GPE created?

In southern Ontario, there is a lack of current “wall-to wall�, fine-scale, detailed vegetation mapping that can support different applications and initiatives related to natural resource management, conservation and landscape and land-use planning.

Specifically the Ecodistrict 6e10/St. Lawrence Islands GPE vegetation maps should serve as baseline information for: natural heritage design and planning; Species at Risk (SAR) recovery planning, state of biodiversity reporting; forest management and planning; invasive species management; ecological good and services estimates, wildlife habitat modeling and mapping; various additional applications and research techniques requiring mapped vegetation information.

How were the maps for Eco-District 6e10 and St. Lawrence Islands GPE produced?

Predictive Vegetation Modeling (PVM) was used to create these maps. PVM is a suite of different statistical methods and processes that are used to produce various models based on field collected and readily available vegetation information, environmental information (i.e. Digital Elevation Models (DEMs), soil information, climate averages), and information derived from satellite imagery. In addition, this statistically based process enables model validation, selection, and finally model extrapolation across the entire study area.

The extrapolated and mapped models are provided to the users in a raster (grid) format ith i t d t d t

2

1

Sugar maple (Acer saccharum) abundance.

Who produced the vegetation models and maps?

The statistical modeling, validation, mapping, metadata and documentation were produced by the Information Management and Spatial Analysis (IM&SA) Unit, Southern Science and Information Section, OMNR. How was the field data that is used to support the modeling collected, and who collected it?

Vegetation, soil and physiographical data were collected in the field following the Vegetation Sampling Protocol (VSP)1, which is a plot based sampling strategy. Field work was carried out and supported by St. Lawrence Islands National Park, Frontenac Arch and Charleston Lake Provincial Parks, Kemptville District OMNR and Eastern Ontario Model Forest. The IM&SA Unit provided the sampling methodology, the field sampling design and compiled, standardized and validated field information.

Puric-Mladenovic, D., Bradley, D., Lee, H., Strobl, S., Arends, R., and MacIntosh, A. 2009. The Vegetation Sampling Protocol (VSP): Version 2.1. Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources, Peterborough, Ontario.

Predicted Vegetation Maps for Ecodistrict 6e10 and the Greater Park Ecosystem (GPE) Area for St. Lawrence Islands National Park Frequently Asked Questions How long did it take to collect the field data on which the maps are based?

Field data collection across Ecodistrict 6e10 and the St. Lawrence Islands GPE area took place over three field seasons, from 20052007. During this time, over 3000 forest and 1000 wetlands plots were visited in the field, and over 1000 rock-barren polygons were digitized. Spatial data preparation, statistical modeling, model validation, extrapolation and mapping were completed by the IM&SA Unit in late 2008.

How should this product be used?

This product can be used to support various site specific or landscape scale applications and initiatives that require individual species, vegetation type, forest structure and/or site characteristics maps. The maps contained in the product should be used with the understanding that individual maps are based on statistical models which have a known statistical uncertainty.

How were the models validated?

All models were validated in a number of ways: internal model validation, withholding a portion of the data used in the modelling for validation, and validation with an independent data set. The results of the different validation methods are recorded for each vegetation model in the document “6e10_vegetationdigitalatlas.html” that is provided with the 6e10 and St. Lawrence Islands GPE products.

3

How can I find the specific maps and information that I’m interested in within the product?

Within the folder “6E10_documents” refer to the document “FOLDER_STRUCTURE.pdf” to find descriptions of various maps and products, and their location.

How is this product different from Forest Resources Inventory (FRI) mapping?

The Ecodistrict 6e10/St. Lawrence Islands GPE and FRI mapping products differ fundamentally in how they were derived.

While FRI mapping relies primarily on aerialphoto interpretation, the Ecodistrict 6e10/St. Lawrence Islands GPE maps are statistically derived. In addition, FRI mapping provides a set of a few structural and compositional variables (e.g. dominant tree species, tree height and age, site quality), while the Ecodistrict 6e10/ St. Lawrence Islands GPE mapping provides over 180 diverse products (e.g. dominant tree, shrub and ground vegetation distribution, percent canopy cover, forest structure, site characteristics).

In addition, mapping for Ecodistrict 6e10/ St. Lawrence Islands GPE extends beyond forested ecosystems and includes non-treed wetlands and rock-barrens.

How can the maps in the product be displayed or printed?

The maps in the Ecodistrict 6e10/St. Lawrence Islands GPE can be displayed and printed following standard legend schemes that are provided as ArcGIS layer files or as ArcGIS mxd files. These files are also provided with this product.

Predicted Vegetation Maps for Ecodistrict 6e10 and the Greater Park Ecosystem (GPE) Area for St. Lawrence Islands National Park Frequently Asked Questions

How does this product relate to Southern Ontario Land Resource Information System (SOLRIS) mapping?

Forest vegetation for Ecodistrict 6e10/St. Lawrence Islands GPE was modeled and mapped within SOLRIS boundaries (i.e.

SOLRIS woodland polygons), and as such forest extent and minimum mapping units are inherited from SOLRIS. In contrast to SOLRIS, this mapping product has more classes for forests, wetlands and also includes rock-barren ecosystems.

How will this product be distributed?

The Ecodistrict 6e10/St. Lawrence Islands GPE product will be distributed through Land Information Ontario (LIO).

4

How should this product be referenced?

Puric-Mladenovic, D., Bradley, D., Arends, R., Buck, J., and Strobl, S. 2008. Digital atlas of predicted species distributions, vegetation assemblages and habitat characteristics for Ecodistrict 6e10 and GPE – St. Lawrence Islands National Park, version 1.0.Information Management and Spatial Analysis Unit, Southern Science and Information Section, OMNR, Peterborough, Ontario.

Who is the contact for more information on PVMM and the Ecodistrict 6e10/St. Lawrence Islands National Park GPE product?

Dr. Danijela Puric-Mladenovic Sr. Analyst Settled Landscapes Information Management and Spatial Analysis Unit Southern Science and Information Section Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources Peterborough ON 705-755-3262